Big Dog Guitar

Well I got to play both my Fender Stratocaster & my Gibson SG through the Digitech GNX4 guitar workstation this weekend.  Of course, I am still learning how this ultraversatile guitar workstation functions but the big eye opener was when I hooked it up to the the USB port.  When I brought up the X-edit software & started modifying sounds on the fly it became MUCH easier to dial in the effects the way you want.  You don’t have to bend down & fiddle with the knobs.  You just have to use the friendly interface on your PC.  Then its just drag & click that mouse until you get the sounds you want.

The Digitech GNX4 guitar workstation is extremely flexible & becomes much easier to use once you hook it up to the PC. No sir, this is way more than a guitar effects box or what some folks call a stomp box.

Hey I got the drums working through the midi interface too.  Sweet!

One last thing.  The GNX4 is made with all metal contruction.  OK some of the buttons & knobs are plastic but this thing is built like a TANK!  The WAH/Volume/Expression pedal is particularly stout.  I also like the “virtual switch” to kick the wah-wah in & out. No click, no detent. It just functions.

More later.

Rex - www.bigdogguitar.com

Hi,

Well the leaddog just brought home a Digitech GNX4 guitar workstation back from the Big Dog Guitar Store.  This is not your ordinary guitar effect.  No its not just a stompbox.  OK I admit it is a bit pricey but the list of features is amazing.  This thing has 80 factory presets, 80 user presets & 80 more presets if you plug in the optional compact flash card.  It has a built in drum machine.  It has an 8 track digital recorder.  It plays MP3s.  It comes with a very nice software recording suite called Pro tracks Plus for PC or MAC.  It has 24 bit A/D converters built in, Lexicon reverbs and the list goes on & on.

OK so how does it work?  Well I gotta admit you better bring your lunch.  This thing is complicated.  But there is tons of data to help you get the most out of the Digitech GNX4 guitar workstation.  There is a good manual that comes with it.  The Digitech website has many tutorials, with many of them in video format.  You can purchase a Craig Anderton book with CD to help go past the beginning stages.  The Digitech user forum has free downloads of presets you can use too.

Then there is the fact that Guitar ONE & Guitar World BOTH offer GNX4 presets for all of there tablature each month.  Sweeeet!

I have a long ways to go before I am fully comfortable with the GNX4 but I know it will be worth the work.  It does just about everything.  I have only had it 2 days & I have already made a recording & used the effects in another recording done on the PC.  It works with a live amp or in a recording studio.

The darn thing has something like 14 jacks on the back so you can always find something to connect to the Digitech GNX4.  It handles 1/4″ jacks, XLR jacks, MIDI, headphones, etc.

So far I am very impressed.

Rex (leaddog)

Hi,

Tonight I was at the local guitar store & played on the Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 for awhile. While maybe not as popular as the Fender Twin this amp has 2 channels.  That means you get the traditional clean Fender channel & a 2nd guitar amp channel that has boosted gain for distortion or crunch.  In fact, it has a switch for MORE distortion which goes into over the top sustained distortion if your really crank up the distortion knob.  Reverb is standard spring type.  The Fender Hot Rod DeVille comes with the cover & a 2-button footswitch.

Now this amp has 60W of matched Groove Tube 6L6 “tube sound” into 2-12″ speakers. It was AMAZINGLY loud.  As a person who owns a Marshall 100W Head, angled cab and straight bottom cab, I am qualified to know SOMETHING about loud!! 

The Hot Rod DeVille’s speakers are in at an angle not side by side.  It makes the speaker box a little less wide but taller.  It seems like it had a little better bass than I expected also.  Now you can get a Fender Hot Rod DeVille 410 version with 4-10″ speakers as well for about $50 more.

These amps scream vintage sounds from clean to dirty.  From solid to crunchy.  While this may not be the best amp for some of the ear bleeding sound levels of a live heavy metal band it certainly qualifies as a solid contender in almost every other category even for live gigging.  As I said this thing is HORRENDOUSLY loud for 60W.

Since I do have the 100W Marshall stack my interest in this amp is to have an amp suitable for gigging with the boys & yet not as backbreaking as a stack.  I have a smaller amp that is great for the house but won’t keep up with gigging.  The Fender Hot Rod DeVille can do it all from the house, to the studio to the local bar.  Be sure & give it a look.

Oh buddy,

This is one sweet axe.  Check out the Eric Clapton Strat.  It is an updated version with the Vintage Noiseless pickups on it. This is what I have on my strat.  Awesome pickups.  This strat has an active mid-boost & TBX circuit making it extremely versatile. It has a soft V neck.  It has 22 vintage frets and comes with a Tweed case.  Old Slowhand’s strat comes with a blocked original vintage synchronized tremolo bridge and is, of course, American Made.

Honestly, this is a strat that I would love to own.  I’m sure you would too.  It would make a perfect companion on the road or in the studio.

Rex Turner

http://www.bigdogguitar.com/instrumentpro/guitars/electric-guitars/fender-eric-clapton.html

Hey I was just looking in the bigdogguitar store & noticed a beautiful American Strat.  It has Schaller tuner machines.  The fingerboard is rosewood or maple…your choice.  It has 22 medium jumbo frets.  I like the jumbo frets better although not all of my guitars have them.  This beauty also comes with 3 American Strat single coil pickups.  It has chrome hardware and a standard 5-way switch.  Since it is a hardtail the strings are through body for better sustain.  This baby has the new “Delta Tone” tone control system…I’ve personally yet to try.  I need to get my hands on one of these to play with.  Should be a sweet axe with a Fender Twin playing live or miked into the console at your home studio.

You should check it out!

Rex

http://www.bigdogguitar.com/wpblog/