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Post subject: G-DEC Pros & Cons
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:09 pm
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I am thinking about getting a G-DEC 30 and was wondering if anyone could fill me in on its pros and cons (specifically the cons). I am also open to looking into other products too...any suggestions that are similar? Thanks!


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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 4:18 pm
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It's a fun practice tool. I got the 30 because the data wheel went bad on my 15. Fender gave me a store credit so I upgraded.

The cons. A lot of the midi backing tracks are just corny. I got bored with them pretty quickly. The looping feature is pretty good and has sound on sound but its not very long.. It's 30 solid state watts so it's not really that loud, but you can patch it into a PA system. The built in guitar tones are smothered in effects, which is kind of annoying. You can shut them off, but you have to go through a ton of menus to adjust the parameters. Just be sure to save the settings.

I run live backing tracks through it because the midi tracks are just boring. It has inputs to do it. You can make your own or download new ones off the internet. I've never done it. It seems like there is software problems with the editor but I'm not sure. You can get an optional footswitch which might make it easier to run on the fly.

It's still fun though. It may work out well for you. I would also look at the Line 6 Spyder Jam. It's more money but has live backing tracks and not so many effects, which may be a good thing. You can also record your own songs on it too.


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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 6:46 pm
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63supro wrote:
It's a fun practice tool. I got the 30 because the data wheel went bad on my 15. Fender gave me a store credit so I upgraded.

The cons. A lot of the midi backing tracks are just corny. I got bored with them pretty quickly. The looping feature is pretty good and has sound on sound but its not very long.. It's 30 solid state watts so it's not really that loud, but you can patch it into a PA system. The built in guitar tones are smothered in effects, which is kind of annoying. You can shut them off, but you have to go through a ton of menus to adjust the parameters. Just be sure to save the settings.

I run live backing tracks through it because the midi tracks are just boring. It has inputs to do it. You can make your own or download new ones off the internet. I've never done it. It seems like there is software problems with the editor but I'm not sure. You can get an optional footswitch which might make it easier to run on the fly.

It's still fun though. It may work out well for you. I would also look at the Line 6 Spyder Jam. It's more money but has live backing tracks and not so many effects, which may be a good thing. You can also record your own songs on it too.
I bought a G-DEC 15 3 yrs ago and you are right, the tones are over processed.I just recently bought a pocket pod and it has som e better tones and an input for an mp3 player, so you can load backing tracks on it and go.Plus the headphone input is nice.


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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 8:57 pm
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Yep, it seems like most of the presets are setup for 12 year olds. Gain through the roof tons of flanging and chourus echo up the wazoo. Then you have to go fishing through the presets and settings to get rid of them.


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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 7:40 pm
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63supro wrote:
Yep, it seems like most of the presets are setup for 12 year olds. Gain through the roof tons of flanging and chourus echo up the wazoo. Then you have to go fishing through the presets and settings to get rid of them.


I just got my G-Dec 30 last week and am slowly working on changing the presets. Makes you stop and wonder.......

Based on my limited time, the G--Dec 30 appears to be an incredibly versatile amp with lots of potential. So why would Fender deliberately shoot themselves in the foot with all those LOUSY presets.

Either SOMEbody screwed up big time or this is Fender's experiment in how not to sell a product......

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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 4:53 pm
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Had my G-DEC for a couple of years. Pretty pleased with it. There are more options from other amp manufacturers to choose from than there were when it first arrived on the scene however. There are a ton of FX but it is time-consuming to modify them. The data wheel on mine is very hit-and-miss - I wish I'd got it repaired/replaced while under warranty. The backing tracks are very useful - this is the amp I use when I teach electric guitar and the backing tracks can be very useful for imporvising solos or simply to show students the importance of rhythm and timing.
On the other hand, the G-DEC is clearly not loud enough for gigging - the G-DEC 30 may be a better bet if you want one amp for practice and gigging.

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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 7:46 pm
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I recently bought a G-Dec Exec (15), for home use only. I'm very pleased with what it's all about.
It's not a performing amp...it's only my practice buddy. I do have to admit that the presets that come from the factory are saturated with the effects that the amp has available, but they are not nearly as hard to edit or modify and actually create some very impressive guitar tones with it. The G-Dec can sound like a lot bigger and much better class of amplifier for it's misleading size. You can get some very sweet tones from it if you play with it for a little while. I created two presets of my own on the first evening I got it, and never opened the manual yet....it's easy.
The accompanyment MIDI files provided with the G-Dec amps are not meant to take the place of a live band. They are provided only to allow you to get something out of your wood shedding time that you would not normally get with any other practice amp...that would be the counter-resistance for you to play into to improve your timing and technique. Your chops will definitely improve with the G-Dec, and it's a lot more fun to to wood shed this than a metronome
I'm also considering a G-Dec 30 for myself as well. This would be for a few small clubs in town when I jam with Jazz and Blues musicians. I would never consider using the 30 with it's MIDI tracks in a live performance, only a few modified presets of my own that I would save withing their own groupings. This would make it easier to access the guitar tone I need for which ever particular style of music I happen to be playing.
Overall.....I would rate the G-Dec amps as the most amazing amplifiers in their class. I have never before been able to get so many good sounding tones from a practice amp like I do now, and I'm getting rid of my old vintage small combo amps because of it.
Once again....editing and saving your own sounds all depends on your ears and your understanding of the parameters supplied in the amps. I found it very easy to edit, modify, and save presets which I was tempted to do in the G-Dec 30 which I auditioned at the GC near me, since they did not have any of the 15's in stock.
If you buy any kind of amp or modeling equipment of any kind from any manufacturer, expect that the built in effects will almost certainly be set to exaggerated levels. Every manufacturer so far that I've looked into, do this to demonstrate the products capabilities. I have found it to be a good idea to audition the equipment and play with the controls and see how User-friendly the interface is, then cut out the effects and listen to the straight guitar tone by itself. For me that is the important thing....does it sound good? Some don't, G-Decs do.
Go try one out at your local dealer, and take the time to go through everything and see what you think. My personal shopping list will see me getting a 30 next month with a footswitch, and then after that, I'm getting a Cyber-Twin for larger venues.

Fender got it right this time :wink:


Harley 8)

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Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 4:51 am
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I have had both the Gdec and the Gdec 30. I'm going to throw another varaible in the mix. If you are going to use the amp for home/practice, I would recommend the Junior. If there is a possibility of jaming with others or playing out, I would recommend the Gdec 30.

The Junior will do everything you neeed the practice amp to do. You won't have as much control over you sound, but it will sound good enough to know you are getting whatever you are practicing.

The -30 will allow you to dial in exactly the sound you want. You have the ability to use a line out to feed a PA. A bigger speaker and 30 watts will allow you to keep up with other live musicians in a live setting.

Yes there are menus; however, with a very short amount of practice, they are easy to navigate. You will become fluent very quickly. The -30 has an optional foot switch which will tremendously add to the functionallity of the amp.


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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:57 am
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It's so versatile, I haven't found any negatives on the G-Dec Standard 15. Another post recommended that I might outgrow the Jr. quickly, and he suggested the Std. or '30'. So, I jumped on the Std. model with it's digital readout. That said, lots of folks love the G-Dec Jr.


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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 6:58 pm
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Hiker wrote:
It's so versatile, I haven't found any negatives on the G-Dec Standard 15. Another post recommended that I might outgrow the Jr. quickly, and he suggested the Std. or '30'. So, I jumped on the Std. model with it's digital readout. That said, lots of folks love the G-Dec Jr.



I'm sure that is true, and no matter which G-Dec model you choose, it will prove to be a far superior practice amp than any other amp in it's size and power range, form any other manufacturer. Fender really took a giant step forward with the concept of these amplifiers.
I have one that I've owned for about two months now, and it's just amazing in how many different tones you can get out of one small machine like that. I've never heard another amp that could do that and sound good at it too.
Next on my purchase list will be theG-Dec 30, and then I'll be moving up to the Cyber-Twin. Amps like this can save me from a lot of backaches with my massive racks and older vintage amps LOL.
I might try the 15 in a recording studio mic'ed up, but I'm definitely going to be using the other digital amps for many other applications.

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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 7:44 pm
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I can't believe someone is complaining about the G-DEC presets. That's like complaining that your stereo came with the treble turned up too high or the volume too low. These effects are fully customizable; you can make them anything you want. You have total control over these settings.

To me, it makes sense that Fender starts them at extreme settings to fully emphasize exactly what the effects do. This box is a learning tool and, for many, it will be the first time they are exposed to these effects.

The Fender G-DEC is:
a combo speaker/amp
with RCA input jacks for your CD/MP3 player,
an effects box,
backing tracks,
MIDI synthesizer,
loop recorder,
and a great tuner.

My boy's guitar teacher uses a G-DEC. It creates an instant jam session. I was so impressed by it that I bought my boy his own G-DEC. We had so much fun with it that I bought a B-DEC for myself. My teacher ended up buying a B-DEC.

I've seen guys using them for sidewalk performances. These are great boxes. Don't dismiss their tremendous capabilities. In my opinion, Fender has cornered the market on this type of device. I haven't seen anything that really competes.


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Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:46 pm
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+1 :wink:

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Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 7:12 pm
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It's the preset themselves, not the effects. You should build your own sound with them, by adding effects, then saving them, not the other way around. I know many, many musicians who feel the same way. Some people like to smother the guitars natural sound with effects. For me it's just a hassle and time consuming to go through and turn things off or change parameters. I like having the ability, but I'd rather do it myself. I want my guitars to sound like guitars, not digital white noise. Very few of the presets are good. They sound cheap, noisy, have way too much gain and sort of corny out of the box.


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Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 6:11 am
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63supro is right...turning off the effects to shape your guitar tone should always be the first step. I turn all of them off including the reverb, when I'm building an amp tone. Some of my favorites are: Blackface1, British3, Dynatouch3, and Dynatouch4. The last three, I usually trim the gain way down, and trim the treble down a good bit, then tweak the bass and mids to suit my ears. After that, I'll add the effects that I want. So far, I've only used the Tape Delay, OverdriveDly, and Ducking Dly. I usually use these set to a very low ratio except the DuckingDly, which I can set a bit higher, ( 30-35%). Adding a little bit of spring reverb to the overall sound gives me a smoother sounding tone. I only like three of the Timbre filters: Full Body, Full Stack, or Bright Lite.
So far, I've created six great tones that I use the most, and I have only been using my Strats and my Tele Deluxe in this amp, and they all sound fantastic. Some of them have been difficult to get great tones out of other amps with.
If anyone is curious to try some of my amp programs with a stock Strat, I'll be glad to post some of my favorite ones up here.
I'm sure there must be a thread already started somewhere in this topic that people are sharing settings on.

Harley 8)

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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 3:45 pm
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MIDI song files can be loaded from computer and stored onboard for jamming with.

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