It's really admirable how you speak so humbly about having the privilege of a Dad who plays guitar and the help that was to you growing as a guitarist. A lot of guitar UA-camrs like to pretend that they're naturally bloody brilliant and self-made. It's refreshing that you lift-the-lid on your privileges growing up.
I recall an interview with Dweezil Zappa, around the time he started the Zappa Plays Zappa tours, where he said going through Frank's back catalogue was like realising he had the coolest guy in the world as his Dad. Having a Dad who not only plays guitar but plays really well, has great gear and builds his own instruments - I absolutely won the jackpot. I hope I can pay as much of it forward as i can.
And then there’s me; my Dad played guitar for James Brown, Etta James, Koko Taylor, Steely Dan James Taylor and on and on and I can’t play my way out of a wet paper bag 🤦🏻
However, I play a mean bass with a wet paper bag over my head to avoid the family shame and disappointment that it would no doubt bring my father..even posthumously lol
Tone chasing is like this whole other thing unrelated to my guitar playing motivation. I toggle back and fourth between tone obsession and playing obsession. It's frickin' great man
Really cool to see and hear this unit again...I used one of these in the late 80's/early 90's when I was playing gigs in North Hollywood. Just a touch of delay with some chorus, through of all things a Gallien Kruger 250ML 50 watt solid state combo through a Carvin 4x12 cab. Great tone (believe it or not) that the soundman at this one club always complimented me on. Thanks for the memories Leon...
@@LeonTodd I liked it a lot actually...I still have mine but it has gotten pretty beat up over the years. When I put a DS-1 in front of it, along with the 128 in the efx loop, I was golden tone-wise. I used it at gigs all over SoCal and always got compliments on the sound I got out of the little beast.
BTW they have really jumped in cost over the years...a few years back you could nail one for about $200...I just looked on Reverb and they are in the $500 range nowadays. Amazing...
I had one of these for years; I still run a DSP128+ in my rack. Why, you ask? It's cheap, it's reliable, it's simple, it's not THAT difficult to program once you wrap your head around it, it has a delay that sounds great in the loop of my 6505+ with the wet/dry at 50%, and there are no dropouts when switching patches via MIDI.
I remember when these digitech units were popular. I wound up getting the Alesis quadraverb before the “GT” version came out. Still have it sitting in a closet. Studio geeks loved these things too as they could be used for recording vocals and such. I don’t think I realized at the time the difference between analog vs digital effects and how it can effect your sound. These units just seemed so cool and sophisticated at the time and were eye candy when you saw them in ads in the various guitar magazines.
Digitech played a HUGE part in my formative guitar playing years. When I was 16, I worked my butt off washing dishes at $4.25 per hour to save enough money for a Digitech RP-1. Back in 1993, that little unit looked like it was from fifty years in the future! It was built like a tank (all metal housing) and sounded SO good. My dad was so happy to see me really getting into something that was good for me that he drove me to Radio Shack to find me the best headphones they had so I could keep practicing after everyone else went to bed. He dropped well over $100 on some awesome over the ear studio-type headphones. That wasn’t chicken feed for a guy trying to raise a family on a fireman’s salary in the 1990s. Haven’t thought about that period of my life in a long, long time. Man…thank you for all of these old Digitech reviews. They sound like my adolescence!
I just found and repurchased my first rack unit the Digitech GSP 21 Legend I had back in 1991. I saw your video on that unit it inspired me to find it and purchase one. I had (have) a vintage `77 Marshall 2204 I had modified with a tube buffered effects loop. I had figured out you needed to have your modulation effects after your preamp by reading the mags checking out the Bradshaw rigs and all the crazy rack rigs guys had back then. I realized that I could use 4 cable method in the effects loop in the GSP 21 to isolate the Marshall preamp and have total control of my clean sound with the solid state clean preamp in the GSP 21. That unit served me well until I got a pedalboard and got rid of it for a Rocktron Intellifex LTD which I still have. It hurt so bad to trade in the GSP 21 legend not knowing how the Intellifex was going to sound in my rig. I missed that unit from the minute I drove away from the music store that day. I couldn't use 4CM anymore and my clean tone which was derived from the GSP 21 effects loop isolating the Marshall preamp was gone. I was wrecked I needed that clean sound so bad. I'm getting ready to fire it up for the first time. First time in about 30 years I'll be reacquainted with my first rack unit.
Yes this was indeed my first, and only rack effect! Used it in my home studio back in early 90's. Man this brought back some memories! Hours spent scrolling through those parameters trying to get them just right. Thanks for the vid.
I noticed that to expand the stereo DSP128 makes some delays preset in antiphase .. It sounds cool in the headphones ... But when in mix in mono , it will completely disappear
Same. I got mine right when they came out in 1993. Spent my whole tax return on that thing it was $900 I think maybe more. I just found one on Reverb and picked it up. Blast from the past!!
The DSP128 was my first Effect Processor and I wish, I had not sold it. Compared to other machines, the user interface was very easy to use, with some experience even without a manual. The same quick manual which is printed o the top of the unit was delivered as a card made of thick paper, so the information was availabe without pulling the unit out of the rack.
Thats amazing Leon! I think my uncle still have one of these. I remember this sounded amazing back in the day when i heard it for the first time! Oh man, i need to buy one of these!
Wow. I must say. Alot of years presets were very laid back, and.....dare I say......useful. I'm a rack guy myself, and we both know some of the presets on these types of units are, oooooover the top, without major tweaks. This was pretty useful straight up.
I've got one of these. Matter of fact, for some reason I can't even remember, I have two of these! I haven't really messed with it in many years, but I'm going to plug it back in and give it spin. There's one "special effect" that makes a note sound like a coin dropping and wobbling. That's a good one.
There is a little bit of that reverb character in my GPS21Pro unit, though is a little bit more subtle. I really like that effet era. Thank for sharing with us Leon.
Quite a coincidence, my first was a used (pawn shop treasure) silver faced 128plus /w Boss MZ2. Both still chugging after some 20 years+, I still baby the 128 and abuse the MZ2.
I still own a Rocktron Replifex that I got 23 years ago for my birthday. Great unit.Awesome effects, EQ, Reverbs, Delays, Modulations, and one of the better Rotary (Leslie) simulations.
I did a vid with mine a little while back - took a while to get it back up and running but it sounds awesome. I particularly liked the Flanger in there. Hope you're doing well mate!
those things were amazing. When i bought my first NEW guitar (Kramer Striker 100st) I had a choice to get one of these units or a midiverb2 and a Rockman Distortion Generator. I didn't get the DSP128. Still, really great unit and nice demo.
The ADA mp1, digitech dsp 128, cs 800 peavey stereo amp through 2 Marshall 4x12s. My first rack setup. My very next rack was the digitech dsp 256 xl. My GAS started then. I still own the dsp 128, lol.
My first was the digitech rp7, with a learning curve as well, but a lot of fun. As far as rack stuff. I have a ton of units that I don't use anymore. Lexicon,dbx, Carvin, tc electronix,Roland...
Great video, Leon. Digitech's stuff can be so enigmatic. Likes a lot of the stuff from the DSP-128. When I got a Eventide Pitchfactor, set up a comparison with an IVL-designed Digitech IPS-33b, and it is a better unit than the PF (tracking and tone). IVL wrote the software for the original Whammy pedal, and the IPS-33b was touted in all of the guitar rags back in the day as a poor mans H-3000. Killer unit.
Forgot to mention, the DHP 33 is exactly the same hardware as the IPS-33B...cosmetics and firmware. Also, there is a IPS-33 (no B) that looks very similar to your DSP128.
Still have mine Toured with it using the midi mate floor controller for 2 years or so When these were first released I stood in line at a New Jersey Dave Phillips music and sound Gregg Howe was there and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso soon to join Y&T, Ozzy, and on and on It was the music hub in Lehigh Valley and New Jersey Anyway they were about $400 and we were lucky to get one They boasted 128 presets and the first to allow 3 simultaneous Fx at once H90 won’t do that today, lol Kinda “digi thin” but in the bigger rooms with crown powered house sound systems it hit just right especially teamed up with a Gallien Krueger 250rl Or the ADA MP1 that we all used and saw on the early reh Paul Gilbert vids Yeah my first piece of rack gear From a time where rock clubs were everywhere and packed Every club had their own sound system and two guys running it Local lighting companies were busy and at every show you felt like a rock star We would learn songs off of the radio before the album even came out and play them that same weekend, blew peoples minds! No tablature, no instructional vids, no you tube No Floyd Rose! Just MTV and the radio mostly AM before switching to FM Damn I’m old 🤯
Lol...."The ok-est flanger along with the ok-est chorus." I still love Digitech. This was probably an awesome unit for low cost entry back in the day. If you ever get a chance to get a 2101 or 2120, definitely pick it up. My favorite is the 2101. I still use them both.
@@LeonTodd I know the GNX4 is out of the 80's, early 90's time period, but it has a lot of features. Lots of frequency tweaking with the cab sim to get precisely what you want, and has an onboard 8 track digital recorder. But yea, 6pu love a 2101 or 2120. Awesome units.
@@LeonTodd One think to know about those units you mentioned. The 2112/2120 are very similar hardware, in fact I think the only difference is cosmetics and firmware. The 2101 is a completely different beast.
ah this was a great unit, I had one also! I think there was also a card that had what was printed on top of the unit included in the box when you bought it.
Cool video, I have a soft spot for old Digitech & have a selection of units from the early to mid 90s. Correct me if I'm wrong but did you say that preset 13 was a combo of Multi-tap & reverse reverb? If so that's interesting as my old GSP21s have both of those effects but you can't combine those two.
Cool video! I really wantedr that DSP128, but Nemko wouldn't approve it in my country, neither the DSP128+, only the Alesis Stuff everyone and their grandma had, so I bought an KORG A3 (though my favorite unit was the SDD1200 dual digital delay) that I sold when my all-time favorite arrived, the DSP256 :)
Wow, i got this when it came out. I had their DDL racks before this unit, being able to store programs and use midi sold me on it. They partnered with IVL later on and offered up a lot of great products, check out the Pitchrider 7000 mark II which is a pitch to midi converter.
It's easy to forget how awesome this would have been at the time - midi, presets, multiple effects at once and all in a single rack unit! I'll have to look up the Pitchrider too
Oh wow... the Pitchrider 7000. I had the Kramer branded with the hex pickup I installed on one of my guitars. It was definitely fun to play with for awhile. Whenever I see the new EHX synth pedals it makes me nostalgic for it, although the new pedals work so much better.
Hello Leon! Are you still using your DSP128? If so, have you ever encountered a situation where a bit of distortion surfaces periodically, disappears a bit later, then returns again? Digitech support is virtually non existent and the owners manual does not go into problems and trouble shooting. Maintenance costs on these units clearly would far exceed its value, but I have always enjoyed it. Thanks!
I bought a DSP 128+ in 1989, and used the shit out of it, very useful, for guitar, mixing... I gave it away and I kind of regret it now... on the 128+ you could chain 4 effects as opposed to 3 on the 128... The reverbs especially were cool, chorus and flange were...strange...
oh yes I remember THE special fx, which was some sort of aliasing, maybe a digital accident that they decided to add as a parameter, but pretty unusable!
I bought one these at a local store a year or so ago. It came with the manual and the box for $40. i still have not got around to plugging it up. i guess i will now.
Leon I'm thinking of getting a second 128 and I've noticed some come in silver and slightly different in what looks like the jog menu, I'm thinking 2 together in black would look better, but I'm sure if I get a silver this time they will be the same??? Do you know and we're they different year models or makes??? Why 2 different 128''s??? I love the sounds of this unit. Thanks and jam on!
@@LeonTodd I think so too, but the silver has a 4 directional arrow editor, but from checking videos out they both appear to have the same engine and presets but thanks for responding and sharing gear vids, your causing me to buy a lot of toys 😆 🤣 😂 like I'm loving the strymon vigilante I think it's spelled. Rock on, I got a lot more Leon vids to watch and also loving the Synergy stuff, like the Randall Lynch box and I hope they get G. Lynch and J. Satchmo to redo a version or transfer their modules unless the Randall's fit.
My first was a valve fx didgatic loved the entire time I had it. It gave me options and the a couple of pushes of. The arrows it would chang to even better one day I turned it on and all these symbols and numbers ect. Came across the screen. Yea I no it was old early 90s excellent before. That day and ,well you no the sadness and the downright madness when it didn't work and being in a position of money needs to go toward other things, ya no food rent heat ect,but none the less I keep looking for one, you no sooner or later there it well be and then happiness well once again be part of my life, till then oh well still looking some day there it will be
Hi Leon, DSP 128 arrived, I am having a problem with connections, guitar goes is right/mono, correct? I am using Marshall MG50 GFX Combo can you please tell me about the cable routing for connections?
I must resist!! Leon I have a big box full of rack effects I don't need another.. My very first rack unit and I got a lot of miles out of it was the DELTALAB Effectron Jr!!
I loved your video and I LOVE DigiTech gear! I’ve used a Marshall JMP-1 with a DigiTech 2120 in the FX-Loop and wow, what magic you can make. Have you ever used the 2120? Mid 90’s unit WAY ahead of its time! I’ve switched to the Axe FX-III based on just watching your videos and still chasing my perfect tone, but digging the switch. It’s what the 2120 aspired to be 25 years ago. You should try one out! Lots of parameters to tweak and super powerful with their accompanying Control-1 foot switch. PS. Can you do more videos about how you hook up your guitar/Axe-FX/audio interface/DAW/monitors, etc.? I’m confused on the monitors being hooked into the Axe to reduce latency yet needing them hooked to the audio interface to hear the full mix from the DAW. Your setup is awesome, even including how you record audio and video for your videos. Would love to learn more please. :-) Cheers and stay awesome!
I had this and a Digitech GSP-5 from the same era. I remember them as both being pretty bad. But maybe I was just using them wrong, and a cheap Peavey solid state amp didn't help. This sounds okay, though you're a good player running it with great gear.
You talked about scratchy tone knows and had to do some TLC with them.... what did you use to help remove some of that scatchyness. I've got a unit that my slider switch scratches when moved.... I've tried electrical contact spray without any luck... any insight on getting that scatchy sound when moving the slider would be appreciated.
That thing is so cool. Digi tech was great when made in Utah as I'm sure that was. I think I need to borrow that strat for 20 years 🤣😂 Just love it, and sounds so good thru your FM3. I used to have a plastic box by digitech called a genesis 2 or something that was great for headphones. I could get a pretty good tone and choose amp, effects, and cab and have it dialed in really quick. I also had the zoom 707 in the 90s and used it at work. Since I worked in the IT field we had loads of perks and one was my boss had a USA Jackson soloists and he kept asking me how to play because he had just started, so I used my beat up Kramer USA ( ESP japan made ) Kline spaceship graphic guitar into the zoom and people that didn't know or understand guitar tone loved it at work even plugged into cheap computer speakers. 🤣😂🤟 It was a great way to quickly practice and get weird fun tones like you said. Does that have distortion, or only effects? I see those for sale all the time pretty cheap and have thought about getting one for the delays and reverbs which are great if you ask me from what I've heard. Thanks for showing this off man. Great stuff. Rack stuff from the 90s especially just rocked! Be safe my good buddy!
@@hoosierdaddy2308 Same here! I still own a GSP2101LE, DHP 55, Studio Quad v2, and a GNX3000. IVL made a lot harmony processors for them that are excellent (Ips33b, dhp33/55) and bulletproof in their construction.
How can it be used live. Can you store them And use a foot pedal. I grew up with a gsp21 and these pedals just aren’t for me . I’m fixing to buy one. I think.
Would you make a video about Alesis Quadraverb? If you search for it on youtube, you'll find out that you have barely any demos at all and they will leave you hoping (for example no distorted use, at best clean straight into the system), if it's even used on guitar, which is quite tragic for such well known unit that's very cheap. Maybe you could fix this lack in knowledge.
Oops noo it was the 128. Just a silverware version. Same aracaic menu and system of LEDs. I remember using it my Randall RG80s effects loop and other recording projects. Great sounding box. I think the 256 n 256xl were 12bit.. not sure. I still have a delay box thats 6 bit I occasionally use in effects loops at 256ms to fatten up overdubbing guitar amps and reamps. 1991 everything was lofi, less than 12 bits.
@@LeonTodd DSP128 use more slow quartz - 32 MHz (vs 36 MHz in DSP 256) ... From specification DSP128: 20Hz-12 KHz and DSP256: 20Hz-20KHz .... so top range 12KHz vs 20KHz ... Both 16 Bit... By the way, the same effect processor (DSP256 chip) is used in Kurzweil k2000 / k2500 ... but work more slowly like DSP128 (use system quartz - 32 MHz ) ... I like his sound very much in comparison with DigiTech DSP 256 ... sound more slowly, more massive, Less bright .... I even tried to change quartz in my Digitech DSP 256, to make it slower .... For example You can find in google how to make "RECLOCK ART Multiverb" in order to slow it
@@EuroDJ You can use the Kurzweil K2000 internal DSP256 chip to process EXTERNAL audio by switching the audio outputs to RECEIVE signals and act as audio inputs.
2:59 - Easy peasy! All you had to do was just snap a pic of the top with yer smart phone before you racked it.... What? You didn't have a smart phone then? ;)
Just use some common sense Leon. You stick that at the bottom of the rack upside down and kick the rack over in a wild display to hide to the audience that you just needed to read the instructions. I'm thinking that the Telecaster paired better with most of those sounds.
It's really admirable how you speak so humbly about having the privilege of a Dad who plays guitar and the help that was to you growing as a guitarist. A lot of guitar UA-camrs like to pretend that they're naturally bloody brilliant and self-made. It's refreshing that you lift-the-lid on your privileges growing up.
(Not being sarcastic - from the video you're in a sarcastic mood today and I fear you might take my comment in the wrong way.)
I recall an interview with Dweezil Zappa, around the time he started the Zappa Plays Zappa tours, where he said going through Frank's back catalogue was like realising he had the coolest guy in the world as his Dad. Having a Dad who not only plays guitar but plays really well, has great gear and builds his own instruments - I absolutely won the jackpot. I hope I can pay as much of it forward as i can.
And then there’s me; my Dad played guitar for James Brown, Etta James, Koko Taylor, Steely Dan James Taylor and on and on and I can’t play my way out of a wet paper bag 🤦🏻
However, I play a mean bass with a wet paper bag over my head to avoid the family shame and disappointment that it would no doubt bring my father..even posthumously lol
BUT it’s worth a mention that anything that you can find with Ernie Lancaster on guitar or from his solo albums are a good listen. ✌️
Tone chasing is like this whole other thing unrelated to my guitar playing motivation. I toggle back and fourth between tone obsession and playing obsession. It's frickin' great man
+100000!
Hi Leon, this was my first rack unit followed very closely by a Roland GP8. That was 30 years ago and I still have both. Cheers.
I jumped in with the DSP256! Paired with the ADA MP1. World dominating 80's hair tone! \m/ \m/
I got an MP-1 not long after getting this. Looked so cool in the rack
Leon, no matter what obscure rack effects model I search for on UA-cam, you have an in-depth video on it!!
Really cool to see and hear this unit again...I used one of these in the late 80's/early 90's when I was playing gigs in North Hollywood. Just a touch of delay with some chorus, through of all things a Gallien Kruger 250ML 50 watt solid state combo through a Carvin 4x12 cab. Great tone (believe it or not) that the soundman at this one club always complimented me on. Thanks for the memories Leon...
how did you like the GK? Low key been trying to find one.
@@LeonTodd I liked it a lot actually...I still have mine but it has gotten pretty beat up over the years. When I put a DS-1 in front of it, along with the 128 in the efx loop, I was golden tone-wise. I used it at gigs all over SoCal and always got compliments on the sound I got out of the little beast.
BTW they have really jumped in cost over the years...a few years back you could nail one for about $200...I just looked on Reverb and they are in the $500 range nowadays. Amazing...
having the manual printed on the unit is extremely handy, you will still have it 30+ years after buying the unit
I had one of these for years; I still run a DSP128+ in my rack. Why, you ask? It's cheap, it's reliable, it's simple, it's not THAT difficult to program once you wrap your head around it, it has a delay that sounds great in the loop of my 6505+ with the wet/dry at 50%, and there are no dropouts when switching patches via MIDI.
"If it sounds good, it IS good"
I remember when these digitech units were popular. I wound up getting the Alesis quadraverb before the “GT” version came out. Still have it sitting in a closet.
Studio geeks loved these things too as they could be used for recording vocals and such. I don’t think I realized at the time the difference between analog vs digital effects and how it can effect your sound. These units just seemed so cool and sophisticated at the time and were eye candy when you saw them in ads in the various guitar magazines.
The Quadraverb is one I've wanted for ages, just for the Paul Gilbert appreciation!
@@LeonTodd Dont forget Ty Tabor!
yeah! Quadraverb's is so good that i bought my second one last week. I still think that two of them is not enough for me!
@@lucasdeliramendonca3546 does that mean you've got an octaverb?!
@@LeonTodd I think it is!
Digitech played a HUGE part in my formative guitar playing years. When I was 16, I worked my butt off washing dishes at $4.25 per hour to save enough money for a Digitech RP-1. Back in 1993, that little unit looked like it was from fifty years in the future! It was built like a tank (all metal housing) and sounded SO good. My dad was so happy to see me really getting into something that was good for me that he drove me to Radio Shack to find me the best headphones they had so I could keep practicing after everyone else went to bed. He dropped well over $100 on some awesome over the ear studio-type headphones. That wasn’t chicken feed for a guy trying to raise a family on a fireman’s salary in the 1990s.
Haven’t thought about that period of my life in a long, long time.
Man…thank you for all of these old Digitech reviews. They sound like my adolescence!
I just found and repurchased my first rack unit the Digitech GSP 21 Legend I had back in 1991. I saw your video on that unit it inspired me to find it and purchase one. I had (have) a vintage `77 Marshall 2204 I had modified with a tube buffered effects loop. I had figured out you needed to have your modulation effects after your preamp by reading the mags checking out the Bradshaw rigs and all the crazy rack rigs guys had back then. I realized that I could use 4 cable method in the effects loop in the GSP 21 to isolate the Marshall preamp and have total control of my clean sound with the solid state clean preamp in the GSP 21. That unit served me well until I got a pedalboard and got rid of it for a Rocktron Intellifex LTD which I still have. It hurt so bad to trade in the GSP 21 legend not knowing how the Intellifex was going to sound in my rig. I missed that unit from the minute I drove away from the music store that day. I couldn't use 4CM anymore and my clean tone which was derived from the GSP 21 effects loop isolating the Marshall preamp was gone. I was wrecked I needed that clean sound so bad. I'm getting ready to fire it up for the first time. First time in about 30 years I'll be reacquainted with my first rack unit.
Yes this was indeed my first, and only rack effect! Used it in my home studio back in early 90's. Man this brought back some memories! Hours spent scrolling through those parameters trying to get them just right. Thanks for the vid.
I noticed that to expand the stereo DSP128 makes some delays preset in antiphase .. It sounds cool in the headphones ... But when in mix in mono , it will completely disappear
I love all old Digtech multi-effects units. My first multi-effects was a ART Multiverb III.
Yeah they still sound good hey!
Very first rack unit I owned was a Digitech GSP 21 legend..... Still have it to this day..... All I can say is thank God for the Axe-FX III. :)
Same. I got mine right when they came out in 1993. Spent my whole tax return on that thing it was $900 I think maybe more. I just found one on Reverb and picked it up. Blast from the past!!
Brings back memories, my first piece of rack gear was a GSP-21. Also, sweet Portal!
The Portal is a nifty little thing hey!
The DSP128 was my first Effect Processor and I wish, I had not sold it. Compared to other machines, the user interface was very easy to use, with some experience even without a manual. The same quick manual which is printed o the top of the unit was delivered as a card made of thick paper, so the information was availabe without pulling the unit out of the rack.
That's handy! These are also super cheap used if you can find them
YYEEEAAAAHHH!!! My first rack unit as well...man, i'm 17 again!!
Another great episode Leon!!
I still have this one in my studio rack. 😊
DSP 128 first, then I graduated to an ADA preamp and a DSP 256XL lol. Those were amazing times!
Thats amazing Leon! I think my uncle still have one of these. I remember this sounded amazing back in the day when i heard it for the first time! Oh man, i need to buy one of these!
Dust it off and fire it up!
Wow. I must say. Alot of years presets were very laid back, and.....dare I say......useful.
I'm a rack guy myself, and we both know some of the presets on these types of units are, oooooover the top, without major tweaks.
This was pretty useful straight up.
I've got one of these. Matter of fact, for some reason I can't even remember, I have two of these! I haven't really messed with it in many years, but I'm going to plug it back in and give it spin. There's one "special effect" that makes a note sound like a coin dropping and wobbling. That's a good one.
There is a little bit of that reverb character in my GPS21Pro unit, though is a little bit more subtle. I really like that effet era. Thank for sharing with us Leon.
Quite a coincidence, my first was a used (pawn shop treasure) silver faced 128plus /w Boss MZ2.
Both still chugging after some 20 years+, I still baby the 128 and abuse the MZ2.
I still own a Rocktron Replifex that I got 23 years ago for my birthday. Great unit.Awesome effects, EQ, Reverbs, Delays, Modulations, and one of the better Rotary (Leslie) simulations.
I did a vid with mine a little while back - took a while to get it back up and running but it sounds awesome. I particularly liked the Flanger in there.
Hope you're doing well mate!
@@LeonTodd Staying healthy so far, work has really slowed down, but that means more time to play. Be well and stay healthy. Cheers, Perry.
those things were amazing. When i bought my first NEW guitar (Kramer Striker 100st) I had a choice to get one of these units or a midiverb2 and a Rockman Distortion Generator. I didn't get the DSP128. Still, really great unit and nice demo.
For some reason I was expecting an older unit like this to be noisy. It sounds great.
The ADA mp1, digitech dsp 128, cs 800 peavey stereo amp through 2 Marshall 4x12s. My first rack setup. My very next rack was the digitech dsp 256 xl. My GAS started then. I still own the dsp 128, lol.
ADA MP-1と一緒に使ってました。当時MIDIでパッチをコントロールする選択肢が少なかったんですよねー。
DSP-128以来、DSP-256、StudioQUAD、GSP-2101LE、GSP-2112、GSP-2120と使いました
My first was the digitech rp7, with a learning curve as well, but a lot of fun. As far as rack stuff. I have a ton of units that I don't use anymore. Lexicon,dbx, Carvin, tc electronix,Roland...
Love the way you’re routing gear through the AxeFX these days. 👍
Patch bays are worth their weight in gold
Great video, Leon. Digitech's stuff can be so enigmatic. Likes a lot of the stuff from the DSP-128. When I got a Eventide Pitchfactor, set up a comparison with an IVL-designed Digitech IPS-33b, and it is a better unit than the PF (tracking and tone). IVL wrote the software for the original Whammy pedal, and the IPS-33b was touted in all of the guitar rags back in the day as a poor mans H-3000. Killer unit.
Digitech IPS-33b gets added to my "Rack GAS list"!
It's kinda known as the shimmer box, but it can do soooooo much more.
Forgot to mention, the DHP 33 is exactly the same hardware as the IPS-33B...cosmetics and firmware. Also, there is a IPS-33 (no B) that looks very similar to your DSP128.
Still have mine
Toured with it using the midi mate floor controller for 2 years or so
When these were first released I stood in line at a
New Jersey
Dave Phillips music and sound
Gregg Howe was there and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso soon to join Y&T, Ozzy, and on and on
It was the music hub in Lehigh Valley and New Jersey
Anyway they were about $400 and we were lucky to get one
They boasted 128 presets and the first to allow 3 simultaneous Fx at once
H90 won’t do that today, lol
Kinda “digi thin” but in the bigger rooms with crown powered house sound systems it hit just right especially teamed up with a Gallien Krueger 250rl
Or the ADA MP1 that we all used and saw on the early reh Paul Gilbert vids
Yeah my first piece of rack gear
From a time where rock clubs were everywhere and packed
Every club had their own sound system and two guys running it
Local lighting companies were busy and at every show you felt like a rock star
We would learn songs off of the radio before the album even came out and play them that same weekend, blew peoples minds!
No tablature, no instructional vids, no you tube
No Floyd Rose!
Just MTV and the radio mostly AM before switching to FM
Damn I’m old
🤯
The Golden age!!
Lol...."The ok-est flanger along with the ok-est chorus." I still love Digitech. This was probably an awesome unit for low cost entry back in the day. If you ever get a chance to get a 2101 or 2120, definitely pick it up. My favorite is the 2101. I still use them both.
Yeah Digitech rule. Really hoping to grab a 2101/2112/2120 soon ;)
@@LeonTodd I know the GNX4 is out of the 80's, early 90's time period, but it has a lot of features. Lots of frequency tweaking with the cab sim to get precisely what you want, and has an onboard 8 track digital recorder. But yea, 6pu love a 2101 or 2120. Awesome units.
@@LeonTodd check out also the GFX1 Twin Tubes. You gonna love it!!
@@LeonTodd One think to know about those units you mentioned. The 2112/2120 are very similar hardware, in fact I think the only difference is cosmetics and firmware. The 2101 is a completely different beast.
@@glaucosouza1971 great preamp, I use it for my lead tone with a boost & cleans.
Would you have any idea what the retail price was for a Digitech DSP128 when it was sold brand new some years ago, Leon? Thanks!
ah this was a great unit, I had one also! I think there was also a card that had what was printed on top of the unit included in the box when you bought it.
Can't wait to hear whatever the surprise is with the amp you spoke about last Friday on the Q and A.
Cool video, I have a soft spot for old Digitech & have a selection of units from the early to mid 90s. Correct me if I'm wrong but did you say that preset 13 was a combo of Multi-tap & reverse reverb? If so that's interesting as my old GSP21s have both of those effects but you can't combine those two.
Cool video! I really wantedr that DSP128, but Nemko wouldn't approve it in my country, neither the DSP128+, only the Alesis Stuff everyone and their grandma had, so I bought an KORG A3 (though my favorite unit was the SDD1200 dual digital delay) that I sold when my all-time favorite arrived, the DSP256 :)
The ADA M1 is still a great preamp for guitar and surprisingly good for bass guitar as well 30 plus years later or whatever it is been now.
Yours sounds a lot better when you play through it than when I play through mine. Lol!
Wow, i got this when it came out. I had their DDL racks before this unit, being able to store programs and use midi sold me on it. They partnered with IVL later on and offered up a lot of great products, check out the Pitchrider 7000 mark II which is a pitch to midi converter.
It's easy to forget how awesome this would have been at the time - midi, presets, multiple effects at once and all in a single rack unit! I'll have to look up the Pitchrider too
Oh wow... the Pitchrider 7000. I had the Kramer branded with the hex pickup I installed on one of my guitars. It was definitely fun to play with for awhile. Whenever I see the new EHX synth pedals it makes me nostalgic for it, although the new pedals work so much better.
Hello Leon! Are you still using your DSP128? If so, have you ever encountered a situation where a bit of distortion surfaces periodically, disappears a bit later, then returns again? Digitech support is virtually non existent and the owners manual does not go into problems and trouble shooting. Maintenance costs on these units clearly would far exceed its value, but I have always enjoyed it. Thanks!
I bought a DSP 128+ in 1989, and used the shit out of it, very useful, for guitar, mixing... I gave it away and I kind of regret it now... on the 128+ you could chain 4 effects as opposed to 3 on the 128... The reverbs especially were cool, chorus and flange were...strange...
oh yes I remember THE special fx, which was some sort of aliasing, maybe a digital accident that they decided to add as a parameter, but pretty unusable!
Very nice playing
Thanks a lot!
I like your blues chops.
I bought one these at a local store a year or so ago. It came with the manual and the box for $40. i still have not got around to plugging it up. i guess i will now.
That was also my first ever rack unit.
Leon I'm thinking of getting a second 128 and I've noticed some come in silver and slightly different in what looks like the jog menu, I'm thinking 2 together in black would look better, but I'm sure if I get a silver this time they will be the same??? Do you know and we're they different year models or makes??? Why 2 different 128''s??? I love the sounds of this unit. Thanks and jam on!
No idea unfortunately. I think the black looks cooler :p
@@LeonTodd I think so too, but the silver has a 4 directional arrow editor, but from checking videos out they both appear to have the same engine and presets but thanks for responding and sharing gear vids, your causing me to buy a lot of toys 😆 🤣 😂 like I'm loving the strymon vigilante I think it's spelled. Rock on, I got a lot more Leon vids to watch and also loving the Synergy stuff, like the Randall Lynch box and I hope they get G. Lynch and J. Satchmo to redo a version or transfer their modules unless the Randall's fit.
My first was a valve fx didgatic loved the entire time I had it. It gave me options and the a couple of pushes of. The arrows it would chang to even better one day I turned it on and all these symbols and numbers ect. Came across the screen. Yea I no it was old early 90s excellent before. That day and ,well you no the sadness and the downright madness when it didn't work and being in a position of money needs to go toward other things, ya no food rent heat ect,but none the less I keep looking for one, you no sooner or later there it well be and then happiness well once again be part of my life, till then oh well still looking some day there it will be
Hi Leon, DSP 128 arrived, I am having a problem with connections, guitar goes is right/mono, correct? I am using Marshall MG50 GFX Combo can you please tell me about the cable routing for connections?
I must resist!! Leon I have a big box full of rack effects I don't need another..
My very first rack unit and I got a lot of miles out of it was the DELTALAB Effectron Jr!!
I've been meaning to find one of those to demo for a while now! Still have it?
@@LeonTodd ::: No, it went to Rack mount heaven years ago.. 😀
I loved your video and I LOVE DigiTech gear! I’ve used a Marshall JMP-1 with a DigiTech 2120 in the FX-Loop and wow, what magic you can make. Have you ever used the 2120? Mid 90’s unit WAY ahead of its time! I’ve switched to the Axe FX-III based on just watching your videos and still chasing my perfect tone, but digging the switch. It’s what the 2120 aspired to be 25 years ago. You should try one out! Lots of parameters to tweak and super powerful with their accompanying Control-1 foot switch.
PS. Can you do more videos about how you hook up your guitar/Axe-FX/audio interface/DAW/monitors, etc.? I’m confused on the monitors being hooked into the Axe to reduce latency yet needing them hooked to the audio interface to hear the full mix from the DAW. Your setup is awesome, even including how you record audio and video for your videos. Would love to learn more please. :-)
Cheers and stay awesome!
Hoping to scratch that 2120 itch very soon!
I did a "How I Make Guitar videos" video not too long ago on here if you're curious too :)
That looks a lot like the GSP-5 which was my first processor. I think I pretty much stayed on the preset that was called “Jack Butler” in the manual.
I had this and a Digitech GSP-5 from the same era. I remember them as both being pretty bad. But maybe I was just using them wrong, and a cheap Peavey solid state amp didn't help. This sounds okay, though you're a good player running it with great gear.
Lol my first was a DigiTech IPS-33b harmonizer. Still have that thang
I've owned several of those throughout the years. Iconic rack unit....the poor man's eventide.
Wow, that was a cool first rack unit. I have the updated version of that, the DHP-33, thing is a beast.
👍🇺🇲❤THE GREAT GUITARISTS OF THE 70'S ....KEPT ME INTERESTED IN BECOMING A VIRTUOSO MYSELF......THEN I WAS MORE IN2 BECOMING A GREAT SOUND RIG GURU😁
I was devastated when I realized my years of tone chasing had to start all over when I started recording 😞
Live sound and recording are very different
Decent reverb and delay. I could work with that on pedal steel guitar.
There's something magical about 12-bit processing.
(I'm assuming this is 12-bit idk)
More slow quartz - 32 MHz (vs 36 MHz in DSP 256) 20Hz-12 KHz VS 20Hz-20KHz
Hi Leon, can you do 2 year AXE FX III overview? I wanna buy this unit so this mean a lot.
You talked about scratchy tone knows and had to do some TLC with them.... what did you use to help remove some of that scatchyness. I've got a unit that my slider switch scratches when moved.... I've tried electrical contact spray without any luck... any insight on getting that scatchy sound when moving the slider would be appreciated.
I used contact cleaner as well as compressed air. Took a few applications and it made it a lot better, albeit not perfect.
Thanks, ill give that a go!
I am very impressed by the transparency of the DSP128! And what amp model were using for the crunch tones on the AxeFxIII? Love it!
USA Lead Mid Gain. Yeah the dry through on this is super handy.
@@LeonTodd Thank you! 😊
I’ve got a Digitech RP3 that my uncle gave me from his archives, i’m trying to figure out how to at least make it not be super noisy lol
This is a pretty clean and noise-free recording considering the DSP's age.. Did you put any noise reduction in the recording?
I have one of these in my gear/guitar case closet. I wonder if it still works...
try it!
Digitech RP-1 was my first... killer ... was $399 then In 1992? Now $60
Any chance to get that sick lick at 5:55 on patreon? it sounds absolutely killer!
received, so basically this unit must be linked to a distortion unit in order to have the distortion sound as you did with the AXE, right?
Yes
What are the pickups in that Strat? You're getting some killer sounds!
Cheers! They're the Suhr Michael Landau pickups.
That thing is so cool. Digi tech was great when made in Utah as I'm sure that was.
I think I need to borrow that strat for 20 years 🤣😂 Just love it, and sounds so good thru your FM3.
I used to have a plastic box by digitech called a genesis 2 or something that was great for headphones. I could get a pretty good tone and choose amp, effects, and cab and have it dialed in really quick. I also had the zoom 707 in the 90s and used it at work. Since I worked in the IT field we had loads of perks and one was my boss had a USA Jackson soloists and he kept asking me how to play because he had just started, so I used my beat up Kramer USA ( ESP japan made ) Kline spaceship graphic guitar into the zoom and people that didn't know or understand guitar tone loved it at work even plugged into cheap computer speakers. 🤣😂🤟
It was a great way to quickly practice and get weird fun tones like you said.
Does that have distortion, or only effects? I see those for sale all the time pretty cheap and have thought about getting one for the delays and reverbs which are great if you ask me from what I've heard.
Thanks for showing this off man. Great stuff. Rack stuff from the 90s especially just rocked!
Be safe my good buddy!
The genesis! That was their take on the POD right?
@@LeonTodd Yes indeed, and better sounding I thought. Plastic though, but it gave me loads of practice and a little recording. Fun fun fun!
Ivl in Canada also made quite a few rack units for Digitech back in the day.
@@dan_perry I really liked their US stuff. At least the stuff I've heard.
@@hoosierdaddy2308 Same here! I still own a GSP2101LE, DHP 55, Studio Quad v2, and a GNX3000. IVL made a lot harmony processors for them that are excellent (Ips33b, dhp33/55) and bulletproof in their construction.
How do you pair this with a good amp. And how do you wire it properly
Lets not forget, any parameter on this can be controlled by midi
How can it be used live. Can you store them
And use a foot pedal. I grew up with a gsp21 and these pedals just aren’t for me . I’m fixing to buy one. I think.
A midi controller to change patches is probably the easiest way
Yes, you can store the patches. I used this live for years with a midi controller foot pedal.
Bought it yesterday on reverb.
Enjoy!
@@LeonTodd I will let You know what I think about.
Would you make a video about Alesis Quadraverb? If you search for it on youtube, you'll find out that you have barely any demos at all and they will leave you hoping (for example no distorted use, at best clean straight into the system), if it's even used on guitar, which is quite tragic for such well known unit that's very cheap. Maybe you could fix this lack in knowledge.
That one is high on the list! Hopefully soon :)
My first piece of rack gear was the DSP256,,,, the rack unit is long gone... but I still own the footswitch....
The 256 was clearly twice as good as this right?
Oops noo it was the 128. Just a silverware version. Same aracaic menu and system of LEDs. I remember using it my Randall RG80s effects loop and other recording projects. Great sounding box. I think the 256 n 256xl were 12bit.. not sure. I still have a delay box thats 6 bit I occasionally use in effects loops at 256ms to fatten up overdubbing guitar amps and reamps. 1991 everything was lofi, less than 12 bits.
@@LeonTodd DSP128 use more slow quartz - 32 MHz (vs 36 MHz in DSP 256) ... From specification DSP128: 20Hz-12 KHz and DSP256: 20Hz-20KHz .... so top range 12KHz vs 20KHz ... Both 16 Bit... By the way, the same effect processor (DSP256 chip) is used in Kurzweil k2000 / k2500 ... but work more slowly like DSP128 (use system quartz - 32 MHz ) ... I like his sound very much in comparison with DigiTech DSP 256 ... sound more slowly, more massive, Less bright .... I even tried to change quartz in my Digitech DSP 256, to make it slower .... For example You can find in google how to make "RECLOCK ART Multiverb" in order to slow it
@@EuroDJ You can use the Kurzweil K2000 internal DSP256 chip to process EXTERNAL audio by switching the audio outputs to RECEIVE signals and act as audio inputs.
@@ShallRemainUnknown I know, but my Kurzweil without audio board for sampling
I still have one of those
Fired it up recently? Keen to hear your thoughts!
@@LeonTodd I'll have to dig it out and see if it still works.
You need a midi foot controller to use it live
I feel strangely attracted to that brick.
Still sounds good to me Dude.
Definitely. For the price you can land one these days it's pretty awesome.
letz hear some slapback jack
Not my first one lol ...but I had one myself!! 👍🏻😊
What did you use it with?
@@LeonTodd
Very early 1990’s Triaxis and 2:90
Switched out later with an Art SGX 2000 & Eventide H3000SE
What axe fx patches are you using in this?
My first expensive toy ;-)
2:59 - Easy peasy! All you had to do was just snap a pic of the top with yer smart phone before you racked it.... What? You didn't have a smart phone then? ;)
5:05 - the sound of the '80s in a nutshell....
10:25 - nice jazzy / waltz rhythm on the delays....
16:16 - that's pretty cool....
21:44 - history doesn't repeat, per se, but it often rhymes....
Couldn’t hear that chorus? Weird...
Just use some common sense Leon. You stick that at the bottom of the rack upside down and kick the rack over in a wild display to hide to the audience that you just needed to read the instructions.
I'm thinking that the Telecaster paired better with most of those sounds.
ARRRRGHH what's that riff at 18.30? It's driving me nuts
Ragdoll - Heaven Above
@@LeonTodd ha! I must have heard you play it before. It’s a stonker.
@@scythe74 Hahaha yeah I'll find any excuse to shoehorn it into a demo