Best Guitar Rack Effects Processor (2024 Update)

I needed a Base pre and it seems no one makes a good rack mount version any more. I didn't want to spend a grand for the newest one so I opted for this one. There are a bunch of base patches you can down load for free. Of course there are some dumb ones but for the most part the sound are pretty good. I liked comparing the Peggy sound to the real thing it's close. I have this in the effect loop of a SVT. When I"m in the studio I can get the whole stereo thing going. Lot of user space, you can select the order of the patches. This let's you scroll through sets on stage. If you don't want to spend the big bucks, this is a good way to go.Czar Gregory

Line 6 really stepped up their game. To qualify my statements for this device, I must first tell you I am NOT a fan of digital modelers. I am an old-school professional studio musician who has played on gold and platinum records since 1978, so I was around before the digital revolution and still don't trust it. That said… this model from line 6 gets ALL the crucial features right. STEREO: ALL modern records are in stereo. It is absolutely essential to have a stereo rig if you want to reproduce famous recorded sounds. Their can be no "psycho-acoustic" space without stereo. Without stereo, chorus sounds like a tinny nightmare. (which is why so many people disregard chorus as a guitar effect.) IN STEREO, chorus is a beautiful thing! But just like a leslie cab, it does not effect YOU unless you hear it in person in stereo. WITH STEREO, ping-pong echoes actually ping pong ( think of Zeppelin's "What is and What should never be.) Stereo detuning or subtle chorus makes complex chords actually sound nice with distortion. (a trick I learned from Tim Pierce back in the early 80's) If you still love your distortion but have evolved past the two-finger monkey-knuckle power-chords, YOU WANT STEREO CHORUS… Balanced XLR connections… It is absolutely essential to have balanced cables to prevent noise, especially in large venues or the studio. In small venues, we can "get away with" standard guitar cables, but even then, we often hear RFI or EMI ( radio interception or hum and buzz) Balanced cables defeat 95% of that automatically. Ergonomics: It (almost) does not matter how MUCH gear we carry. What matters is how easy it is to set-up, tear-down and ( most importantly) USE. Because of heavy marketing and guitar players fetishes, small foot-operated pedals have seen a resurgence in recent years. Though rack mounted gear seems to have faded into the past, it is still the best solution for carrying less AND easy-set-up. When you have all the electronics in one box, you need only connect the speakers and controller of your choice. This unit makes that easy and it takes (literally) only five seconds, even if you are old, blind and drunk. (I would know!) You can still attach the foot controller of your choice for live gigs, but in the studio, I find a foot controller is (usually) unnecessary. If you are recording at home, playing with "jam-tracks" rehearsing or just geeking-out looking for new tones, you only need this and a pair of headphones ( or decent monitors.) Here's the best part… when you keep all the physical connections of the signal-path INSIDE ONE METAL BOX, you not only never have to reconnect them, but they are quieter, have a shorter length of copper to run through and make LESS NOISE. Again, by itself, that is worth the price of admission. Speaking of geeking… If you want to tweak, there is no easier or cheaper way to do that than with this rig or similar computer-enabled unit. The included software allows you to add any popular effect you can think of, plus a few dozen weird effects I probably will never use. You can stack multiple effects in any order, experiment with settings, save them in a heartbeat and NEVER have to buy or untangle another spaghetti-swarm of cables. By itself, that is worth the price. When I add up just what I've spent on cables over the last few decades, this thing pays for itself. Now, there are other rack mounted "modelers" out there. I've tried the Eleven rack. It's good too. But it does not give you anywhere near the "bang-for-your-buck" that this does. Avid overcharges for everything. Thats part of their business model and will not change. I have also used the Fractal audio stuff. Frankly, if price were no object, I would whole-heartedly recommend their AXE effect II also. However, it cost nearly three times what this does. If you are playing really fast and / or use your volume knobs extensively, you might need the instantaneous reaction of a the higher-priced spread. In most cases, this does the job just as well, especially for live gigs. For a brief while, I had the (now discontinued) Roland ( Boss) rack GT pro unit. That was one of the few products I have ever had to return for a refund. It was noisy and sounded like digital hell. The new Boss stuff sounds better, but they no longer make the rack models. Speaking of live gigs. A year ago, I had to sit in with a touring band to temporarily replace a guitarist who was (ahem) recuperating. The gig required that I not only learn fifty "cover-tunes" but that they had to sound as close to the original recordings as possible. I had three days to prepare. Now, I could have "gotten by" with my steadfast old workhorses. I still love my Marshalls, Hiwatts and Fender amps. But then I would have had to carry them or pay cartage fees and the now-crazy airline fees. No thanks. With this thing, I not only carried WAY WAY less gear, but I could accurately imitate every tone on most any hit song you can think of. It made that gig and everyGEO

This is my favorite piece of equipment in the studio and Live. It is the greatest for mastering recordings to CD. When finalizing a mix you need to hear the mix at loud volumes on loud hi fidelity speakers to see if the hi end is not too harsh and the lows are not to muddy. The included Ultramizer Fx is a sonicmaximizer 2 band compressor that keeps the mix contained and averaged. Best I ever used and I've used a lot. You can set an average RMS signal which keeps peaks from jumping into red DB range and distorting. This thing really polishes the mix. A one time setting tuned to your speakers is all you will need. I use it live and it doubles the volume of the pa by keeping the average RMS signal intelligently and transparently containing a full sound. Our ears hate harsh hi end at loud volumes and the Ultramizer contains them while pumping up bass which our ears love as per the Munson Fletcher Loudness Contour Curve effect. It also protects speakers by stopping abrupt dynamic bursts that can blow up your speakers. After setting up your speakers with the virtualizer just pushing the in out button will blow you away at the thickness and polish of the mix. Set the crossover freq at 2.5 k. Djs use sonic maximizers to get that pumped up sound. This is 10 times more effective. Also the Delay Reverb multi is smooth and articulate. I have 3 in my home studio. I can say you have to hear it to appreciate what it does. Best mastering tool ever. Best PA tune up sound maximizer. You can shove the master Faders into the red and even at maxed levels in the red it stays Crystal clean. So many nice stereo fx you will be using it all the time. Even as a delay reverb it is perfect for a fine tuned live mixer and you will love it. It is a pitch transposed and can really beef up the love end if the bass. If you are interested in fat polished mixing you will love it. A tweaker dream.Mark Mark

I might be a bit late in writing this review, I've had this thing for 20 yrs. now and it hasn't changed much in design much at all. After 20 yrs. I'm still finding new combinations of effects I hadn't used before. One of my favorite effects is vinyl which makes a scratchy vinyl record sound, it's a nice recording effect to start or end (or both) a recording with. I also like running a drum machine (when i use one) through the enhanced effect give a nice, clear, sharp sound. I'll say it again, I've had it 20yrs, it's been dropped on numerous occasions and as the saying goes "takes a licking, keeps on ticking"!Smitty & Steve, Guitars & Goodti

Although this would be my first effects processor ive bought and dont have anything to compare to it, Im really happy with the purchase. After opening the package I noticed its very light weighted, and easy to carry around. I plugged it into my Behringer mixer and it worked great. The interface is designed nicely, and the knobs turn smooth. I mostly just bought it for the reverb effects and they have some pretty nice reverb presets that ive been using, but it only comes with about 12 or so. I will say there is a ton of effects ill never use on this device. If you are looking for a cheaper way to get live effects, I dont think youll be disappointed with this unit.jaki-6278

Best price in town on a great little piece of equipment. Honestly, it's amazing what tech is doing these days. This unit is fully staged worthy and has nearly everything anyone could want. There is a learning curve to the unit but it isn't too bad. It isn't perfect out of the box but can be tweaked to preference. Many of the presets are great and as good launch point for sounds you are looking for. As for delivery, my unit came very fast. I think i waited 4 days for my order (which was 5 days earlier than initially estimated).Jeffrey

The GP-200 is a very flexible multi-effects/modeler whose price may suggest something of lower quality, but it's actually a great-sounding and fun unit. I play acoustic and electric guitar with an Acoustasonic Telecaster, and the GP-200 works great for both sounds. You get what's probably hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of amps, effects, and cabinets for a fraction of the cost. The factory presets probably aren't for most people, but the fun is in creating your own anyway. I definitely recommend using the PC/Mac software for this, as it's a little easier on the eyes and a bit more intuitive as far as the interface goes, but working with the unit itself just takes a little time and experimenting to get used to as the documentation isn't as detailed as it could be for the depth of options available. The acoustic guitar IRs are helpful for buffing up a standard piezo pickup; they won't fill anyone into thinking that your $200 guitar is a vintage Martin or whatnot, but they do bring a bit more depth to the sound. I find them a bit brittle-sounding, but perhaps with more EQ tweaking I could minimize that. I highly recommend this unit for people who want a good, flexible modeling solution without paying thousands. I haven't had the opportunity to play with big-name modelers, but this will definitely do the trick for most.Josh

Overall, very good for my needs as a bedroom guitarist. I chose this multi effects units over the more expensive brands simply because it had built-in drums and looper which the other brands didn't have.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Powerful, flexible, great great UI, superb i/o options. Doesn't include the granular level of hardware editing that Axe FX allows but I definitely don't want those options, I'm not a hardware tinkerer anymore!Matt O.

I wanted to finish my rack project, so I purchased this Helix Rack and after a weeks I am more pleased I purchased this. Many thanks for the service agents for the helped nail down my choice! You rock guys! \m/ \m/Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

The Avid Eleven is a great value. Whether using it to supplement your live rig or using it in your studio the options and fine tunings are unlimited and its ability to integrate with Protools is an added plus.indyblues

The Mosaic pedal is easy to use, and produces a realistic 12 string effect. It comes with it's own power supply, and I recommend using it as it seems to use quite a lot of energy to produce the effect. When I first connected it in my chain, powered by the wimpy Snark power supply, it didn't really work. The light came on when I pressed the on/off button, but the effect wasn't happening. Then I used the power supply that came with it. Suddenly, out came the shimmering sound of an electric 12 string. In short, it might not sound like a Rickenbacker, but its close enough, and much less expensive. If you want the sound of a 12 string, but don't want to spend the money, this may be the perfect substitute.jonaha650

Overall: Ive been using my Roland Gr-55 (w/ GK-3) to add 12 string shimmer to my sound for years. This little box is amazing! Tracking is impeccable, and the controls are so simple I was up and running within seconds! The metal box is sturdily built, and COMES with a muscular 9v, 1.3amp power supply(?!?!) Switching is silent, and the effect tracks tonal changes between pickups well enough that once dialed in, I dont need to touch the tone knob. If I get insanely picky, I kinda wish there was a separate out for the 12string sound, but that would negatively affect the affordable price and kind of defeat the 1 pedal= 2 instrument simplicity. If you never ever wished you had a 12 string, but it antway! You'll see what you've been missingDennis

I have both a 6 string and 12 string Rickenbacker. I don't normally like to take my 12 string gigging because I've got enough other gear to haul around and the 12 string is only used on a few songs. Plus all the associated issues with tuning, string replacement, swapping guitars, etc. The Mosaic does a pretty credible job of making my six string sound like a 12 string. It does not produce a perfect reproduction, but I find it good enough that I'm using it regularly. Considering the technology needed to generate the 12 string sound from a six string instrument, I'm actually very impressed that it does a good a job as it does. And the fact that it is polyphonic is icing on the cake. I've used electronic harmonizers to try and duplicate a 12 string sound, but they always failed in two areas. You could not play chords and the high B and E strings sounded just awful because the harmonizer would try and play notes an octave above on those strings as well (usually rendering this approach useless).. I found that the Mosaic gives a pretty credible 12 string reproduction on the E, A, D, and G strings. Fortunately the upper B and E strings do not get the octave treatment. They remain with the original pitch, but they don't quite have the full tonal resonance of a true 12 string. It isn't bad, just not quite perfect. All in all, I feel its a good product, does a good enough job and I'm happy with the 12 string emulation. I think its a credible option to consider if you need a 12 string sound, but can't justify the cost and issues of owning a true 12 string.bgb92549

I was looking for a good multi-effects pedal option and found this Flamma FM10. It's loaded with a bunch of different amp models and effects. I was able to dial and EQ everything. The expression pedal can also be put to use as a volume pedal, wah, gain control, and several other things. I was able to create several personal patches and have used them all in live settings. They sounded great. Which means a lot coming from me because I am EXTREMELY picky about gear and tone. Other benefits are that it functions as an audio interface, it has stereo outs, a headphone out, and aux in. It fits in a backpack and a gig bag. Depending on where the show is and how a musician needs to get there, this effects unit is going to travel well in all circumstances. Seems like a really great option for any musician (especially traveling musicians) who need a small multi-effects unit. I like it and I'm going to be using this quite often moving forward.Paul

Bought one of these to replace an old Peavey effects unit. As soon as we plugged it in we noticed a very pronounced high-end hiss. Only way to tone it down was to try to EQ it out. (the input/outputs had to be turned almost to zero to quiet it down – so what's the point?) Ended up yanking it and keeping the old one. Friend of mine recently had the same experience in his set-up. If only he had asked me first. Look up other reviews about this product, it also has a display glitch that causes it to randomly scroll through different effects settings. This is unacceptable in this day and age – even at this pricepoint. It is now sitting in our "just in case something breaks" pile.Squeezebox 4.0

my last ART unit died and I needed to replace it. I run a Mackie VLZ1604pro. i send 4 efx sends and after buying one lex200 a year ago, it was a slam dunk. I have had another brand which i will not mention, you need to be an MIT grad to operate. Not for me. I do not have a lot of experience with many other units, but for me the Lex200 works great, main thing, it is easy to use, simple and sounds awesome. I recomendbkbrocks

This unit is noisy to the point of unusable in my effects loop. I have it running off the back of my 5150 III head and it hisses to no end, despite top of the line cables and a Furman power conditioner. Also it squashes the tone of the amp – makes it sound thin. I don't recommend this unit for guitar effects loop use. I thought Lexicon would be top of the line. I have heard better reverb from pedals.EB

This is a fine unit that has tremendous functionality and given some time and effort there is almost no tone that cannot be extracted from this unit. Unfortunately Line 6 goes out of their way to make it an unpleasant experience. Unless of course your willing to fork over more money for software that other companies would give you for free, or at least substantially less than Line 6 charges. You shouldn't have to shell out hundreds of dollars for a unit followed by hundreds more for some software to get the most out of it. Line 6 is the worst, but the POD Pro XT is a good unit.recnepsterb

For a nine year old effects floorboard, this is a great value for someone (like me) who wants several effects without spending $100-200 per pedal. Line 6 is generous with this one, Ive only had it two weeks and theres still plenty of sonic discoveries to be had. Cant compare it to Line 6s new units, but this one looks cool, sounds even better. Couldnt care less that it happens to be all modeling, I can plug a bass in, then in the blink of an eye pick up the guitar without unplugging from the bass amp and still get a huge stellar amp tone for ultimate chunder. Get it, for $200-ish its a steal!aig-man

This is a pretty good bag. The quality is excellent and it looks/feels like it will last quite a while. I bought this for my Line 6 Pod hd500x and it works "ok" for it. The bag could be a bit more snug so the Pod does not flop back and forth when you carry it. Length wise there is extra room and a spacer which allows you to carry some extra cables or a power strip, but I am talking about the snugness on the top and bottom. I may try adding an extra foam pad to see if this helps. I know this bag was not specifically made for the Pod so I can't fault it too much for not fitting 100%. It is a great deal for the money!jkelly517

This is a fine unit that has tremendous functionality and given some time and effort there is almost no tone that cannot be extracted from this unit. Unfortunately Line 6 goes out of their way to make it an unpleasant experience. Unless of course your willing to fork over more money for software that other companies would give you for free, or at least substantially less than Line 6 charges. You shouldn't have to shell out hundreds of dollars for a unit followed by hundreds more for some software to get the most out of it. Line 6 is the worst, but the POD Pro XT is a good unit.recnepsterb

For a nine year old effects floorboard, this is a great value for someone (like me) who wants several effects without spending $100-200 per pedal. Line 6 is generous with this one, Ive only had it two weeks and theres still plenty of sonic discoveries to be had. Cant compare it to Line 6s new units, but this one looks cool, sounds even better. Couldnt care less that it happens to be all modeling, I can plug a bass in, then in the blink of an eye pick up the guitar without unplugging from the bass amp and still get a huge stellar amp tone for ultimate chunder. Get it, for $200-ish its a steal!aig-man

This is a pretty good bag. The quality is excellent and it looks/feels like it will last quite a while. I bought this for my Line 6 Pod hd500x and it works "ok" for it. The bag could be a bit more snug so the Pod does not flop back and forth when you carry it. Length wise there is extra room and a spacer which allows you to carry some extra cables or a power strip, but I am talking about the snugness on the top and bottom. I may try adding an extra foam pad to see if this helps. I know this bag was not specifically made for the Pod so I can't fault it too much for not fitting 100%. It is a great deal for the money!jkelly517

Great sounding unit BUT : 1) if you try changing patches using midi THERE ARE HUGE GAPS between changes – like 1-2 seconds – made the unit unuseable (live) 2) TC also no longer support this product SO YOU CANT UPDATE THE SOFTWARE, there is NO WEB EDITOR and THERE ARE NO WINDOWS 10 DRIVERS available for it – shoddy shoddy shoddy! There is also no analogue dry through signal meaning you will always have gaps, in switching , with midi and your tone is sacrificed. This seems to be a common problem with TC rack based and digital problems. Look around the internet and you'll see loads of forums with guys complaining about the gap when switching (G Major, G Minor, M350 etc etc ) I opted for a 10 year old Rocktron Xpresison as it has an analogue dry through and has zero gaps! Crazy that rack based effects equipment these days (under £1000) , does not offer an analogue "dry through" signal and seamless switch with midi!!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Helix is fantastic for all studio musicians. You can construct so many different sounds with it. Since 3.0, the Helix is a complete package as far as guitar processors go: you have all different amps, cabs, effects, acoustic sim, synths, polyphonic transposition, harmonization, oversampling. Lots of in/outs, lots of ways to route it. The workflow is great: you have the computer editor. You can back up/restore your Helix, email the backup to yourself, etc. The Helix can absolutely replace your entire signal chain and be used as the only piece of gear to process your guitar sounds. The same could not be said about the Helix when it was on earlier firmware versions. Now, the Helix itself is very cheaply made. I thought I'd purchase one and never need to use anything ever again– wrong! After about a year of light use, the buttons stopped working reliably, then an LED stopped working. Helix is assembled using cheap Chinese parts that are tiny! For example, the footswitches are not what they appear to be–there are tiny tactile microswitches underneath. The Helix will not withstand nonstop gigging for more than a year, unless it's regularly serviced/cleaned, etc. It's a real shame because it can sound great, but something is always failing, or about to fail.Dimitri

Overall: I just received the Helix Rack yesterday so I only have a few hours in the drivers seat but that's enough to learn how truly awesome this thing is. I've owned a lot of Line 6 products over the last 20 years, in fact I still have a spider V240 and a POD HD Pro X but the Helix is so far out of their league they will probably never get used again in my studio. The design is sleek, easy to navigate, user friendly and just all around beautifully designed. The large full color screen is not only eye catching but makes navigating the menus effortless. Even though I'm modeler savvy, I've had no previous experience with Impulse Responses, in fact, I hadn't even heard of them until I started researching the Helix Rack and quite honestly I didn't think that I would care to use them… Well… I was wrong. It's amazing what these things do for the quality and authenticity of my tones when recording. As I mentioned earlier I only have 2 days under my belt at this point but most of that has been recording scratch tracks just to hear the result of these I.R's. I also love the fact that Line 6 still adds all of the necessary physical knobs and controls to their equipment in the days of everything being digital. The idea that I can play almost uninterrupted while tweaking many different parameters on the unit itself without a pedal is always a selling point for me. Not taking anything away from the foot controller but when I'm seated in front of my rack, using my hands to adjust the unit itself is just somewhat more convenient at times. Next, the user space… I thought that my POD HD Pro X had a lot of space for user presets but It has nothing on the Helix. I will probably never fill all of the user List's or even come close to it but It's always better to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it. Also, let me jump back to the large screen again, I have a laptop on which I keep all of my editing software for my studio equipment. I always plug in my Spider V240 and POD and use the Spider V Remote and POD HD Pro X edit software respectfully because in most cases sitting behind my recording console and tweaking my sound is just much easier to do with the computer apps than the equipment. The Helix is the first and only piece of equipment I've owned where the display is laid out and organized in a way that is very similar to a computer or tablet app and so even though I have the Helix Edit app running on my computer right next to me, making adjustments on the front of the Helix Rack in many cases is actually easier and faster than grabbing a mouse and using the comp app. I could write much more describing my total satisfaction thus far but I will wait 'till I have used it for another month or so and update my review at that time. I will leave you with this thought. While conveying my total happiness to my brother last night regarding the Helix Rack, I went so far as to say that I feel that this could be the last guitar processer I ever buy and if not it's pretty close.Fred

The g system sounds better than any multi effects unit that I've ever used. The notes just seem to ring with more clarity than I can remember hearing in other units and the tone is great. Practically zero noise when used with good cables. The build is incredible ; it's heavy and feels solid. i have it plugged into a Marshall dlc40 and it sounds incredible. Thank you TC Electronics and Sam Ash!Vf5fan

This is an awesome multi-effects & rig management Tool. Top TC effects, complete integration and optimization of your gear and total control over your effects and sound. Built like a tank out of steel and aluminum and used by professional musicians all over the world. It is perfectly suited for both live and studio work and it is inspiring to use. The G-System integrates perfectly with an existing setup and provides the perfect backbone to a guitar rig. All of the features are accessed via the floor boards 18 illuminated footswitches, six with built-in rotary encoders to make adjusting parameters on the fly incredibly easy and intuitive.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Brilliant bit of kit ,but if you buy from usa like I did you need to get the transformer changed to uk , it's different voltage. Or use a step down converter. Getting it changed is much better . I did!.damiehughe_98

I've had and played threw alot of gtr processor and pre amps. I know all the hype these days is all about the Kemper profiler amp and the Fractal Audio Axe-fx 11 preamp which are great and sound amazing! But not everyone has that kind of $$$. The Digitech gsp1101 may seem somewhat obsolete to some but it is still a great sounding unit especially for the price! And it is easy to use and configure to any setup. Weather your running it in front of your amp, effects loop, using the gsp1101 preamp threw your amps EFX Rtrn or a P.A. I've always liked digitech and have had many of their smaller gtr processors mainly for practicing so I'm familiar with there layout. Even if you've never used a digitech it is still very easy to use and navigate threw to get great tones very quickly. I absolutely love it and in my opinion it is def one of the best units out there! And the Control 2 foot controler , which is a must have with this unit, is very simple to hook up. You just connect it to the GSP1101 with the ethernet cable and your ready to go! No midi programming is needed. It does have midi capabilities as well if you decide to go that route. Bottom line is its a great unit and you won't find a better unit in that price range.donus-fnnms

Awesome little unit! Fits into a 1u rack space, and a lot of the models are very close sonically to the originals. My personal favorite right now if the Mark IV model, and it doesn't disappoint. If updated to the C63 firmware (www.mustbebeta.com) the unit is excellent, and you get additional models such as a 5150II, Mark IV, Randall RG100, Orange thunderverb and others. While it might seem a little complicated at first, after a few hours you get used to the interface and are easily scrolling the through menus and editing presets. This unit oozes tone and its price/performance ratio is OUTSTANDING! Oh, and did I mention that it works well as a DAW interface? One of my best gear purchases ever!mythraswow16