Digitech GNX4

I've seen a Digitech GNX4 in a local pawnshop for $150. Seemingly good condition. Worth it or just getting too outdated? Better options for not too much more? Or worth just getting the wallet out to newer tech?

Do you need all the extra features of the Digitech (drum machine, built-in recorder, mic preamp, USB computer interface) or are you after a guitar amp|cab modeller?  If the latter, then something like the Vox Tonelab might be a better bet (more modern, has valves, far more compact).

The GNX4 was released around the same time as the GNX3000, and after comparing the two for a while, I got the GNX3000. This link has a good breakdown of the features of each, and I think the focus of the GNX4 was more from a DAW perspective, where the GNX300 was more "effects controller." I have not actually used the GNX3000 for DAW work or re-amping, but simply to jack it into a clean amp when the mood strikes. For that purpose it has gotten its money's worth and then some. I did not realize until I found that link that the amp modeling is 3:1 different between the two models though, and I cannot speak to the GNX4 at all, but personally would go with the GNX3000 again (for my use). For live work, many lauded the GNX4 due to its internal looping feature (and many considered the GNX3000 a bad alternative for this); so much depends on your intended usage.
 
The pawn shop part makes me very leery, as you would definitely want to give that a workout before you bought it. I am not sure if they would allow such, but I would definitely want to test not only the amp out, but headphone out with my own guitar (if they have amps there) before I would even consider a purchase. Physically things may look okay, but when electronics are concerned the proof is in the pudding.

I've still got my .NET Minidisc Walkman, patiently biding its time until the technology becomes popular again...
 
I just had to go check out digitech's website to see what they're up to these days:
 
http://digitech.com/en-US/products/trio
 
Now that seems pretty cool as an instant-jam tool.  Fortunately for my wallet it doesn't appear to be available yet :-)
 
 

Sorry I don't have anything to really add, but this thread just reminded me that I have an old Digitech RP-1 sitting around somewhere in storage and wondered if I could use it's midi to control/trigger soft synths on my DAW....

ShellstaX
This guy thinks you're onto a winner @Mesh. Surely any MIDI signal (thru a MIDI Interface as it has no USB) should be controllable thru ACT huh? Not something I've spent any time on. Have fun.
 
Well - thanks everybody ... but I got GAS anyway and bought it ;). $150 AUD = ~ $120 USD. 3 month warranty if faulty, They'll buy it back at 50%, within 7 days, if I decide it simply isn't suitable - well, I guess they are in business :P
 
Working thus far - just gotta learn how to use it properly. For that - in Anderton I trust. Stumbled across a comprehensive tutorial series by none other than the aforementioned. Thanks Craig.

Congrats Shellsta on the new toy!! The one great thing about youtube is that it has all these tutorials available at our fingertips..........thank you for posting that link, I'll check it out.
 
Have fun jamming and looping!! :)) 

Congrats on the nice investment.

Yup - more than happy Mettelus. It would appear I've come across a classic rather than yestertech.
 
I can't believe this is 10 year old tech - it's new discovery for me and a step up in hardware (albeit digital) fx and control:
- multiFX / expression pedalboard
- amp sims (2 channels + Warp Channel. I have 26 AmpSims and and 22 CabSims - so perhaps some gifts from the previous owner(?) - your list above suggests 15. ) (EDIT: Oh no - 15 Guitar, 1 Acoustic, 10 Bass = 26).
- highly configurable
- drum machine
- recorder / looper
- audio inteface / mic + phantom
- speaker / headphone or amp out
- extendable with other footswitches
- good hardware and software control (X-Edit 2 - there ya go - more than just pedal control)
- apparently / seemingly good community resources
- solid build
 
Negs - A PITA for analogue purists(?) :P
 
Lots to play with.

+1, there is definitely a lot to play with in that box. It will keep you busy for a long time to come.
 
The RP-10 is no lightweight either, and the only issue that ever occurred with mine is the pedal cal would drift frequently (is over 20 years old now). The menus have to be tabbed through more than the GNX (I wonder if a GUI was made for this as well now), but it is simpler in some ways too. The RP-10 just seems more "stomp-worthy" from playing with both, since the switches are very similar to a true stomp box. I was always leery to actually stomp the GNX since the switches have so much play to them (they physically moves like 0.75").
 
In both cases the headphone out alone makes practicing more fun, since you can get the "high amp gain" feel without upsetting everyone in ear shot.

I have been messing with the RP-10 since the last post, but pulled out the GNX3000 last night and began to run it through the ringer. I never did much DAW work when I got it initially, so never realized all it can do. I had to dig into the manual to find out about the mic input, and that is phantom powered and always on, so this guy needs all connections made before the power switch is ever thrown. Latency is decent (10-11ms) for it being over a decade old, and it runs 4-in/2-out. I remember I ran this through my Saffire to cut the latency down when first tried using it a couple years ago, but it will transmit a nice variety (stereo w/FX on one pair, and guitar dry + mic dry on the other seems to work rather nicely).
 
I still feel like wrapped in spaghetti using it, and the "X-edit 2" software is a must for easy of patch manipulations (I hate all the tiny knobs and buttons myself), but thought I would share. It never really clicked with me until I checked out the back panel last night that this is a full-blown audio interface (with MIDI ports even).

Yeah, I never quite got the 15V thing (maybe why no power switch). Second piece of gear I have with those that I will never use.
 
Right now I am focused on the glorified DI/stompbox aspect since I have been on this "baking binge" to minimize post-production work and can pass both wet/dry signals in. The downsides thus far as physical cabling I need to make/break for setups, and that I am swapping driver modes in SONAR more readily (although I am finding that SONAR switches itself properly if it can only see one device at a time).

Quick update to this one just to better close out where I went with this (GNX3000 unit).
 
Drivers - The "ASIO" drivers that came with this appear to be similar to ASIO4ALL. WDM is actually faster, and programs came up with "GNX3000 not connected" when starting them. Latency is a "no go" in 95% of the cases, and since this "ASIO" driver is intrusive I uninstalled the driver set. As an "audio interface" this is not a recommended option.
 
X-Edit 2 - The GUI to "program the guts" works without the drivers (thank God), and is pretty indispensable for initial setup. As I intend to use this as DI/Solid State stomp box, I focused on setting up the first 5 user presets to be "normalized" on all amp channels (the channel switch has options for up to 1, 2, warped (mixed) and for all 5 presets I chose all to have 15 variations available). Setup for this takes a while, but when completed, the USB umbilical can be unplugged. Additionally, within X-Edit 2 there are options to simulate Humbucker->Single Coil and vice versa, as well as "simulating an amp performance through regular speakers." Nice features, but a huge con to these is that I have yet to find how to program into the stomp box potion (along with reverb which also seems "baked"). Another con is that the FX are set by preset, not channel, so all 3 channels of the same preset have the same FX in them - more of a nuisance as HB->SC is a nicety that would be better with a quick on/off. 
 
Connections - As my main use for this ATM is straight into my Saffire, I choose a headphone->L/R TS connection (Y-split) cable. As many patches internally generate stereo, this seemed the easiest way to capture both (and the volume knob on the unit is handy). For amp use, can simply run the mono amp output to a clean amp channel.
 
Thus far, the expression Pedal has yet to be (custom) programmed for anything, but will take up to 3 FX so want to think about how I would employ this going forward. Wah-Wah (enabled/disabled by pressure on the toe switch) and/or volume are programmed into many presets by default.

Yeah, I was going to mention the online presets as I downloaded the zip file a while ago (like 638 total). There are some useful ones in there, but the issue I had was the "normalizing." What I mean by this is many of them are way hot, and I spent a lot of time getting the channels to have consistent levels with the distortion on/off. I didn't want to have to adjust any gains while playing.
 
The drivers can be used for audio interface functions, with just a bit more latency than I would use (and do not need). The ASIO4ALL comment came from me shifting driver mode between WDM and ASIO (which I do often, and I only know of going through WDM to shift between two ASIO devices). That pop-up of the "GNX3000 not being connected" came up in multiple programs (not just SONAR) even with my Saffire as the only online device. The point where I removed those drivers was during a driver shift and clicking on Preferences->Audio->Driver Settings (just on the left tab) in SONAR would cause SONAR to crash. Thankfully, both the "Playback and Recording" and "Devices" were both accessible so I could get out of using it, but after I triggered that driver conflict twice I simply decided to remove it. I think most users would not see this, however, since it required a shift from WDM->ASIO mode in SONAR to trigger it.