G-Major disappointment?

[ns9]

Hi!
I sold my Digitech 2120 because it was not my cup of tea. After much reading and searching, I figured the TC Electronic G-Major would be "good enough." Apparently not..

I am a paraplegic in a wheelchair, and have limited ability to go try stuff out. I grabbed the G-Major from Guitar Center, figuring if it sucked, I could easily exchange it. I love TC choruses, and their 'verbs are excellent. Apparently, even when the (supposed) same stuff is used in their lower cost unit, the missing parameters play such a heavy part, the unit becomes lifeless IMO.

I did not buy it for the gate, EQ, or compressor. If I could turn them off permanently, I would. The phaser is.. well, like a bad nasal snorefest. The flanger is.. ugh. So, I figured at least I would get a GREAT chorus, and decent delay and reverb. Yes, I read through the manual before buying, but it did not hit me just how much is missing from the box. G-Force is overkill, and the hardware it uses is outdated (hence the G-Major's low price). Besides- the G-Force would have the same phaser and flanger, making the price point worse IMO.

OK.. moaning done. I have an old SGX 2000 (upgraded to express), and it is so much more flexable and better sounding in certain areas. Unfortunately, it is also wicked old and conks out randomly (which is why I bought the 2120 to try, and now the G-Major). The 'verbs are crappy, and the unit overall is a bit "cloudy" and very colored. Glorified giant pedal-lol. I love certain effects pedals, but wanted something more accessible (paraplegic!), and something I can input exact delay times, chorusing/flange/phaser/etc settings, and then do a MIDI dump to back it all up. I figured since my SGX did most of that, and since technology has improved vastly (with price reduction to boot), well.. I figured it should not be hard to find something good.

I love MXR Phase 90 and Small Stone (the old 70's models), MXR flange, and the ones in the SGX are pretty nice (plus I can set the mix amount for them, which is something I want). Re-arranging the effect order is one thing I wanted to be able to do, but I knew the G-Major did not allow that before I bought it. I figured I could sacrifice a few things.

Did I miss something? Do I just have odd tastes? Any suggestions on a good rack unit that would do what I want? Under $1k new? Maybe 2 units instead of one? I am using a Mesa TriAxis, so a preamp in the unit is not a concern.. I would likely never use it. Live use is not a concern (I cannot play out.. yet), and MIDI control/access is only needed for studio use (cannot use pedals..).

I was thinking of going back and trading it for the TC Electronic D-Two, and then grabbing something else for the other bits. I would still need to find a good chorus and flange.. possibly the TC Nova? And a 'verb... (sigh) Pedals would cool for certain things, but being able to set the mix/blend of dry/wet is something I want, and the paraplegic thing makes pedals a PITA (I owned about a dozen, sold most). I will be re-buying MXR Phase 90 and Small Stone pedals.. no other way to get those sounds I think...

thx!
nikki =D

[metalgod72]

I like my POD X3, I went through all those rack units, lexicon, rocktron, TC, etc
and they all colored the sound of my amp, I had a boogie at the time...so I got the POD and even when I use my Peavey XXX gain sound, I just turn off all preamps and gain in the pod and just use it as a effects unit. I have not been this happy with my tones since the late 80s when I had the "rack from hell"...good luck

[spacebard]

Maybe you should try the Eventide eclipse, this is a really great unit.

[ns9]

thx for the replies!

I started my search with the Eclipse, but price knocked it out.
The POD stuff... well, I owned a POD Pro, and was not fond of it. But, I figure their newer stuff has improved.. simply have not had a chance to try stuff

I have had a suggestion (ok, a few have suggested) Fractal's Axe FX.. which is, of course, just out of my price range. But, it appears to be.. well, OMFG was my initial reaction. Trying to get more opinions...

thx!
nikki

[Rudy]

Just a few questions/ideas:
How are you using it, series or paralell? If paralell do you have kill dry enabled?
What amp are you running it through? is it a instrument level or line level loop? Is the level set right in the TC? Pro for line level consumer for instrument.
getting the loop levels set right is real important. At the end of the day it might not be what you are looking for but you might want to check the levels.
I've owned the Gforce and G major and am currently using the axefx ultra, but still think the g-major is a very decent unit.

[ns9]

hi!
Using a TriAxis + power amp, so it is serial no matter what.
Levels/gain structure correct, and tried it inline as well as in loop (TriAxis loop is decent IMO.. not perfect, but better than some others)

The disappointment for me truly lies in the sterility of it. While I want clean paths, I would like the effects to have some character. The chorus is definitely TC.. and the verbs are good enough. Ditto on the delays. But, after trying it now, I find the few missing parameters (vs G-Force) must be essential to truly get the effects to shine. well, for me at least. Too many studio and stage years, both sides of the board on both. Better quality than my SGX for those effects. But, when it comes to the rest of the bunch, the SGX wins. The phaser is.. horrible. It is like having Janice from Friends laughing, and imposing that onto the guitar signal. The flanger lacks character, period. And the compressor?

My issue is that if I want a single box to avoid chaining stuff up, or using some wild matrix.. well, G-Major falls short for me. Then again, I also cannot stand any amp modeller (horrible digital hash on every single one). It is not that the G-Major sucks, per se... it is simply that it does not suit my tastes. I also probably created a level of expectation that no sub- $1k unit could fulfill. The Axe FX clips I have heard, minus amp modelling, sound incredible. Flanger is the only effect in that unit I have not heard now. But, it is out of my price range ($1.5k min, with the Ultra sitting at $2k). The Boss GT-Pro might do as a "Boss Pedals in a rack unit" but I would need to try it, and that is where my problem lies: trying to figure a way to bring a guitar and try a few units out. Medically/physically, that is a very tall order unfortunately. Hoping I can figure something out though. My main reasons for not settling on pedals to begin with are settings recall, ease of use (once again, paraplegic makes this stuff a real PITA, although it may not be immediately apparent as to why), and being able to be more exacting in parameter settings (I like to see the numbers, not "set around 2 o'clock, and there ya go!").

The biggie is that I am not an effects slut, not by a very, very long shot. I will go dry most of the time. But, when I want a flanger, I want a FLANGER. And when I want a delay to do some wild U2 type stuff, I want to be able to have that ability right there. My poor SGX could do it, for the most part. Upgrade the piss out of the SGX (algo's, converters, and chips), and I would be happy. Oh! And if I can use it with bass, keys and possibly even vocals.. or as outboard during mixdown.. wow.. Price becomes the issue there though I think..

nikki

[GuitarGuru]

I've always used the Boss stuff because it was easy to program. I used to have a GP8. It was nice, but I sold all my 80's rack stuff because it sucked the life out of my dynamics. I went with pedals. I understand your problem though. Maybe the VOX stuff. Tonelab.

http://www.voxamps.co.uk/tonelab/

[AE185]

I've had the G Major for a few years now and I certainly have my issues with it. I agree the effects have no character. The noise gate is garbage. The flanger and phaser are lousy. The parameter wheel doesn't work well at all. Everyone has this problem with the G Major. A lot of people also complain about the fact that the G Major randomly freezes. I emailed TC about the parameter wheel and they wanted an insane $130 flat fee for it. After telling them that I know that many people have this problem and it's not my fault and should be fixed for free of course I received no reply. Companies are truly nuts with this whole flat fee no matter what's wrong with it thing. Anyway other processors in this range also have crappy issues. I've read that the Rocktron Xpression makes popcorn popping noises. I've also read that the Lexicon MX series has far too much of a lag when you try to change patches with a MIDI pedal. Despite the fact that I have a MIDI preamp and despite the fact that it will cause a tap dance I think I'm going to switch to pedals for effects. I hate that old processors like to conk out randomly so I'll get rid of my G Major before it craps out randomly.

[Silverburst]

Originally Posted by AE185

I've had the G Major for a few years now and I certainly have my issues with it. I agree the effects have no character. The noise gate is garbage. The flanger and phaser are lousy. The parameter wheel doesn't work well at all. Everyone has this problem with the G Major. A lot of people also complain about the fact that the G Major randomly freezes. I emailed TC about the parameter wheel and they wanted an insane $130 flat fee for it. After telling them that I know that many people have this problem and it's not my fault and should be fixed for free of course I received no reply. Companies are truly nuts with this whole flat fee no matter what's wrong with it thing. Anyway other processors in this range also have crappy issues. I've read that the Rocktron Xpression makes popcorn popping noises. I've also read that the Lexicon MX series has far too much of a lag when you try to change patches with a MIDI pedal. Despite the fact that I have a MIDI preamp and despite the fact that it will cause a tap dance I think I'm going to switch to pedals for effects. I hate that old processors like to conk out randomly so I'll get rid of my G Major before it craps out randomly.

+1 on your Gmajor opinion here.

[6fingers]

I have gmajor and rocktron xpression.
Gmajor has a few more reverbs and stuff but to my ears xpression effects are really better.Modulation effects in gmajor are sterille,dead.
Xpression chorus just like in intellifex is AMAZING,to me the best chorus ever.
In fact at the stage you can't feel they are sterille cause well,you're at the stage.In home playing alone is where you really hear them.
I like only basic effects as chorus,flanger,delay and reverb so Xpression to me is really better than gmajor.
Dudes you're talking about equipments wich cost about 250 bucks so don't think you're buying diamonds.Boss pedals are really more expensive.They're great but not diamonds.
In audio you get what you payed for.Zoom sounds like a zoom never like a mesa boogie.
So for the price they're really good.