No more official Digitech GSP1101 firmware updates.

[El Caco]

I just received a response to my question about updates and this really deserves a new thread. Here is the question I asked.

Hi there,

I own a GSP1101 and I just noticed that the RP1000 has models that the GSP1101 does not and are only available to GSP1101 users with the unsupported beta firmware.

I was under the impression that my GSP1101 is Digitech's flagship, top of the line pro model, why is it missing models that a lower unit has?

Does Digitech plan on releasing these in an official firmware update?

Also does Digitech plan on releasing an updated Xedit for OS X including Snow leopard? Us Mac users feel like we are being left out in the cold.

Thank You,
Steve.

Here is the response

HI,
For the time being, anyone installing X-Edit editors on a 10.6.x OS must move the component(s) from

Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components folder

to

/Users/~user/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components folder

This is the way to get X-Edit to work on Snow Leopard.

Any future firmware updates for the GSP1101 will most likely be on the mustbebeta site.

Regards,

William Clayton
Harman Music Group
Technical Customer Service

Mustbebeta is a site paid for and supported by Digitech employees from their own pockets, Digitech does not support it and do not pay the employees for the updates they work on there, also from what Stan has posted he has reached the limit of his abilities so future updates are highly unlikely unless more employees take an interest. What this response means is that Digitech have no official plans to further support or update the GSP1101, at this stage it also looks like an Xedit for Mac that supports the additional models & features in the vC48 beta firmware is unlikely.

This is very disappointing news as the vC48 firmware is excellent and in my opinion makes the GSP1101 the best value guitar product available and the only affordable alternative to the Axe FX. It saddens me that Digitech refuses to release the beta as an official update and to create a full featured Xedit to interface with the GSP1101 in both OSX and Windows, it is upsetting because it is a really small investment that IMO would make the GSP1101 the market leader .

I don't know if it would do any good but GSP1101 owners have been asked by Stan to post feedback on the beta firmware to get Digitech to support it officially and take it further, maybe if you are using it and like it you should post on mustbebeta and email Digitech requesting they support it, if you are a Mac user and want Xedit for Mac updated let Digitech know, and if you are a potential customer and this worries you let Digitech know that you are sitting on the fence because of it. Like I said I do not know if it will do any good but it is worth a try.

 

[ykcirj]

That sucks. I hope it works out for you guys. I have never played the digitech but I definately understand how you feel. Line 6 totally abadoned vetta owners too. I hate how some companys are these days. One of the main selling points is the ability to update and continue improving the tones...

 

[Ishan]

This is a stupid move IMO, they had a foothold in the pro preamp market (small market but it's there) and now they're killing the product, WTF!!??

 

[krsp]

I have had a lingering feeling of abandonment for a little while now. I have a Digitech GSP1101 unit, and had to screw with X-edit to get it to even RUN on Leopard...nothing seems to work on Snow Leopard unless it is Apple (but that is another story!)

I asked if there was an X-Edit that existed for C48 for Mac (original one doesn't work unless you get the beta version and run it in a VM) or was in the works to be compatible with C48 - but no, only Windows (terrible OS, but again, another story!)

For the past few months, the posts on mustbebeta have dwindled as most users have probably come to the conclusion that Digitech are asswipes when it comes to support. I can't believe the email the OP got! That is pretty unprofessional.

As great as the C48 software is, I wish that Digitech would properly support it. At least support if not continue development.

 

[troyguitar]

That would make sense if they had a new product out to replace it, but since they don't that is ridiculous.

 

[darren]

Well, NAMM is just around the corner, so who knows if they have a replacement product coming.

 

[TMM]

This is one of the top reasons (probably #1) why I've never had a digital amp sim as the core tone in my rig for any length of time, nor will I - it's in the nature of anything digital or computer-related to at some point become obsolete and be either replaced by 'the next best thing' or abandoned altogether, at which point, there is also no more support for the product, and if something happens to it, you're SOL. I'm sure at some point even the mighty Axe-Fx will become outdated (though it may not be for a while). I don't want to spend much $ on something that's potentially (and likely) going to become unusable at some point in time.

Sorry to hear this, Steve, I know you really liked your GSP1101. I was actually thinking about checking one out, but this sort of shoots that to hell.

 

[ShadyDavey]

This saddens me as I am a prospective GSP1101 owner.

I can't understand the decision not to support their flagship no matter what angle I address it from - unless there's an unannounced model being released soon. I would still buy a GSP to take advantage of the quality of the unit but one factor in my decision previous to this was software support....here's hoping some manner of mass lobby by the owners at least wakes Digitech up to the fact that the demand for them to get off their asses is there.

 

[JohnIce]

This is one of the top reasons (probably #1) why I've never had a digital amp sim as the core tone in my rig for any length of time, nor will I - it's in the nature of anything digital or computer-related to at some point become obsolete and be either replaced by 'the next best thing' or abandoned altogether, at which point, there is also no more support for the product, and if something happens to it, you're SOL. I'm sure at some point even the mighty Axe-Fx will become outdated (though it may not be for a while). I don't want to spend much $ on something that's potentially (and likely) going to become unusable at some point in time.

Sorry to hear this, Steve, I know you really liked your GSP1101. I was actually thinking about checking one out, but this sort of shoots that to hell.

Well, people still search eBay for old-school digital FX from the 80's and so on, if they sounded good then they will continue to do so, just like tube amps. Sure, the technology is younger and to many not as refined as tube amps, but that doesn't mean the products are going to decrease in sound quality over time. If they do, because of bad manufacturing, well, so can many amps. Digital does not equal bad quality.

 

[djpharoah]

This is one of the top reasons (probably #1) why I've never had a digital amp sim as the core tone in my rig for any length of time, nor will I - it's in the nature of anything digital or computer-related to at some point become obsolete and be either replaced by 'the next best thing' or abandoned altogether, at which point, there is also no more support for the product, and if something happens to it, you're SOL. I'm sure at some point even the mighty Axe-Fx will become outdated (though it may not be for a while). I don't want to spend much $ on something that's potentially (and likely) going to become unusable at some point in time.

Sorry to hear this, Steve, I know you really liked your GSP1101. I was actually thinking about checking one out, but this sort of shoots that to hell.

Actually Tom I disagree. Sure supposing Digitech drops product support for the GSP1101 what does that exactly mean for the end user? Basically no updates on the firmware. That means the GSP1101 will still run fine with the last firmware from digitech or the MustBeBeta C48 beta firmware. I don't see if any of this will make the GSP1101 unusable in the future.

Heck I got my GNX3000 years after it was dropped from the support line but it still works and it still rocked with the supermodels cd.

 

[El Caco]

Well, people still search eBay for old-school digital FX from the 80's and so on, if they sounded good then they will continue to do so, just like tube amps. Sure, the technology is younger and to many not as refined as tube amps, but that doesn't mean the products are going to decrease in sound quality over time. If they do, because of bad manufacturing, well, so can many amps. Digital does not equal bad quality.

^This

We are now in the realm of modelling being on the same level as analogue, the Axe-FX or this becoming outdated will not be like the original pod being outdated, it will not even be similar to saying a JCM800 is outdated, it is more like saying a head is outdated because it does not have full Midi functionality. The only thing that can make the current crop outdated is newer products being released with more features and that does not make the current products redundant, they will always sound as incredible as they do. Fair enough you could point out that if the unit breaks down in the future it may be hard or impossible to repair it but the same can be said for many 70's amps, the original parts just are not available and you need to improvise with similar parts from today.

With modelling at the level it is currently I think traditional 2/3 channel heads are in more danger of becoming outdated

BTW I still love my GSP1101, the lack of Mac Xedit for the vC48 beta is annoying but the vC48 beta makes it an incredible unit. At the moment there is only 3 products on the market that I would consider being at the core of my rig, the Axe FX, the GSP1101 and the Digidesign eleven. Each of those has compelling sales points which would make some consider one over the others, for me the GSP1101 is the top of the heap. Without having the budget and endorsements of JP there is nothing on the market that can offer me what these can.

For US$500 any guitarist can have the tone they desire in the home, studio and live. Your tone is repeatable through monitors, headphones, a full rig or PA/FOH. No longer do you need to go buy a full stack or even a traditional cab and poweramp unless you want that, now you can get the same tone or better running direct, to a FRFR or keyboard amp, you could just do what so many are doing and run it through your monitors/headphones at home and direct to FOH when playing live. That is one (two with a foot control) small piece of gear to transport, your back will thank you . There is simply nothing on the market that can compete with the flexibility and features for your dollar and even if it becomes absolutely useless at some point in the future losing $500 is less then the hit you would take on a lot of analogue gear when it comes time to sell if you bought it new.

As a point of humour, I originally purchased the GSP1101 to complement my rig with some effects and it has decimated my rig, the ENGL is gone, the Midi switcher is no longer needed and the Mesa and Cab are soon to go as well .

 

[TMM]

To all 3, I'm not saying the GSP1101 (or Axe) doesn't sound good, or will sound worse. All I'm saying is that you lose any support you would have had from the manufacturer. I've run into this far too much with some really nice gear. Andrew & I have owned 5 ART DST amps - awesome, awesome amps, but only 1 of them has worked perfectly, and you can't get the parts you need to fix it if something is wrong or goes wrong (I tried, ART said they don't make them). It's massively frustrating.

Thankfully I still have my 1 good one, but I have next to zero confidence that it will last for any real length of time, and it's unfortunate, because I'd have no problem paying ART for the pieces needed to repair it.

 

[El Caco]

As far as hardware goes the same can be said about most products after they are discontinued, there comes a point where it is no longer viable for the factory to continue making parts. Yes the life cycle of most analogue amps is longer but as I pointed out above even a total loss on a GSP1101 is not terrible when compared to depreciation of most gear. And at that time there will be something better

You use rapid life cycle technology everyday so even though I understand what you are saying and the frustration that is associated with a product you enjoy being non repairable if it breaks, I think your philosophy is a little silly and it is preventing you from enjoying some great gear.

I know it seems a little like I am contradicting myself, I am not since Digitech still sell the GSP1101 and their own employees acknowledged that it required support that Digitech refused to give it. I only expect to get what Digitech advertised, the best Multieffects unit they sell, Xedit that works on the advertised OS's with the latest updates to the GSP1101 and I expect all of it's features to function correctly. It is unacceptable that Digitech advertise it as top dog when lower units in the range have more models, features that this should have had out of the box. It is unacceptable that Digitech sell it with bugs and then refuse to officially fix those bugs and have now said to me that if you want those bugs fixed install the unsupported beta firmware which technically voids any warranty you may have had and will not work with Xedit on your operating system.

On the other hand when it comes to faults and breakdowns with Digitech products they have an very good track record for customer service and getting things fixed quickly. I also am aware that a number of businesses repair discontinued Digitech gear and that since Cliff is Fractal it seems reasonable to assume that as long as he is physically able that he will back his products with repairs even if he moves onto a new line. I can not speak for either of these companies but I am also aware that it is common practice for some companies to offer a trade when they can no longer repair a discontinued product due to lack of parts. So it really is not reasonable to say digital gear is only good for a short time.

 

[JohnIce]

When it comes to replacing parts, basically customer service, all companies are different. Keeping with the Axe-Fx example, Cliff (who designed the thing) puts ridiculous effort into that and if you send him your unit for repair he'll fix it, update it, maybe even send you a brand new one if fixing the problem takes too long. And he checks up on the Fractal forums quite often to help people with any questions, and to ask for suggestions on upcoming firmware updates. A good number of amp models in the Axe is there only by requests from forum members. The development of the company's own midi controller is a direct result of customer interaction.

G66, the european distributor of the Axe-Fx, are the same. They really go out of their way to not only give you great service, but to address you on a personal level and supply new users with their own "n00b manual", and even send you a complimentary box of chocolates when you get an Axe-Fx (no kidding!) On their website they post articles and tips on the unit all the time.

If that wasn't enough, the Axe-Fx Wiki and forums are other sources of valuable information for everyone using the unit. When getting an Axe, you become part of a community of players who help each other out, many being professional musicians and studio engineers (Dweezil Zappa and Marco Sfogli have posted their patches on the forums, among others).

So it seems like customer support, if anything, is growing when it comes to this unit.

On a side note, I know of guys on the Axe-Fx forum who bought their units back in '06 or so and still haven't updated any firmware at all, they're completely happy with what was originally in it. If it sounds good, it IS good.