Rocktron Pro G.A.P questions.

[I.P. Freeley]

Alright, I've got one on it's way to my house. Does anyone know if the loop is instrument or line level?
Also, all I've got to run it through right now is the power amp/upgraded speaker of a red stripe Peavey Bandit. Will that allow me to hear what it really sounds like? I actually like the Bandit, but I do intend to get a power amp and cab to run it through in time.

 

[ConcreteVampire]

Yes, And no. Lol

Great unit! Had one for years.

Remember preamp rigs sound like the sum of the parts.

I liked it in the effects return of my Pittbull 59/CL with the rectifier on
V30's, 2x12.

Warm sounding analog drive
Can get splatty in treble
Learn to use the Mid freq it's your friend! Like a 5150....

 

[I.P. Freeley]

Thanks. So, is it a line or instrument level loop?
I know what you mean about the sum of its parts. I got it a bit ago and it didn't sound half bad on the presets, I'm sure I can get it to sound better. I guess the transtube power amp is pretty decent.
I got two of them, one is kinda rough. How can I tell if they're v1 or v2? One has red buttons and the other has white ones.

 

[1big1]

i've got a v 2.0. it says so in the upper right hand corner of the faceplate. after scrolling through the users manual for both the v 2.0 and the ultra it really doesn't say what the loop level is. if i had to make an educated guess i would say line because the diagram shows rack mounted effects in the loop and it's also midi capable. all three versions of the owners manual are on line. v.1 and ultra are easy to find. i think they're still available on the rocktron web site. v2.0 you may have to do some digging for. i'm currently running mine into a vht special 6 head through a vin 30 loaded 1x12 cab. it sounds pretty good.. though i'm a long way from mastering it yet. the other nice thing about these units is that they're eeprom. no batteries to replace and no unexpected crashes.
i'm running mine into a digitech dsp 128 right now (may try something else). i have the input level set for instrument and the output set for line.

 

[richardt4520]

Used one of those V2s for a couple of years into a Marshall 200watt mosfet power amp into a quad of Vox Bulldog Alnicos (15 watt Celestion blues) in the early 90s. I played for a short while with a guy who was using a Mark IV and he bitched about how close it sounded to his mark IV with the way I had it dialed but recordings I hear of it now make me cringe. I think it just sounded cool because of that 200 watt amp scorching those poor 15watters.

Boost the pre EQ by about 12.0 at around 850 and scoop the post eq out around 660 and it sounds alright. Raspy, though.

 

[1big1]

Used one of those V2s for a couple of years into a Marshall 200watt mosfet power amp into a quad of Vox Bulldog Alnicos (15 watt Celestion blues) in the early 90s. I played for a short while with a guy who was using a Mark IV and he bitched about how close it sounded to his mark IV with the way I had it dialed but recordings I hear of it now make me cringe. I think it just sounded cool because of that 200 watt amp scorching those poor 15watters.

Boost the pre EQ by about 12.0 at around 850 and scoop the post eq out around 660 and it sounds alright. Raspy, though.

i've found the higher gains to be a bit raspy as well.. though i'm mostly using it set pretty clean.. up to mid gain levels.. (30 or 40 or so) and that's not too bad. there's also a large jump in apparent gain at about 28. it works well with the special 6 because it allows me to tweak the input eq.. which is what i need on a simple amp setup like this. i can find sweet spots for different pups (singles or humbuckers ) that way. that's how i'm using it anyway.

 

[richardt4520]

It's definitly a cool little preamp! Quiet with that onboard hush, too. Eddie Head from Haji's Kitchen used a Chameleon on their Shrapnel release. He was showing me his settings back then and he had it basically setup pretty close to the settings I had on the ProGAP.

 

[chunktone]

Thanks. So, is it a line or instrument level loop?
I know what you mean about the sum of its parts. I got it a bit ago and it didn't sound half bad on the presets, I'm sure I can get it to sound better. I guess the transtube power amp is pretty decent.
I got two of them, one is kinda rough. How can I tell if they're v1 or v2? One has red buttons and the other has white ones.

An effects loop on a preamp is pretty useless imo. The main function of an effects loop is to give you the ability to place effects after the preamp and before the power amp. I would just use the main outs to feed your effects inputs, and then run the L/R outputs of your effects processor to your power amp.

 

[1big1]

yup. the hush makes it dead stick quiet for recording. if i ever get my iso booth project finished i'll use it for that.
as for the outs into the processor? great idea! thanks!