Valeton gp 200 lt: very impressed

ETJC

I just got one of these second hand for the price of a new boss pedal. I think it’s incredible: very user friendly and great sounds (having only used analogue previously). 

Not mentioned much on TFB as far as I see. Any other fans here? 

Voxman

Not tried one but I've watched vids and it has some very nice features. 

TheBigDipper

Never heard one, but an old bandmate of mine has just done a short tour of the UK using Valeton modellers. He plays bass and 12-string. He had lots of technical problems with things freezing or refusing to boot with more than one unit (he bought spares after the first failure). 

But when it worked properly, he was very happy with his sound.

ETJC

Oh that’s a shame but interesting to hear. 

LionAquaLooper

I read on a thread somewhere that in stomp mode, it doesn't actually show you what you're turning on and off?  Surely that can't be right.  Is it?  

ETJC

No that’s not right. For the selected patch the smaller lit buttons show which of the 11 effects are on/off. You can then assign 4 of them to the footswitches which will change colour as you engage/disengage. 

Voxman

I've just been watching some vids & reading up on the manual & reviews.  The GP200 (I'd need the expression pedal) seems a super bit of kit with some really excellent pro features indicating some real thought has gone into this by someone who actually plays guitar & gigs!  Features I really like as compared to my Pod Go include:

Built in XLR balanced outs (as well as non-balanced outs)
MIDI
Groundlift
Staggered footswitches - such a simple solution to make switching much easier
Dedicated amp controls - (this was a feature I really liked in the Zoom G11)
Dedicated buttons to access each section quickly (modulation, reverb, delay etc) (a feature I really liked in the Mooer GE300)
Globally accessible looper 
Built in drum machine (basic, but still a nice extra to jam to & drums can be looped too)
Initial & wait modes for footswitches - brilliant for teeing up something whilst you're playing
Cab off setting (global)
Patch level meter
180 sec looper
Customizable Display Mode (3 modes)
Magnify the patch names and numbers (great option for gigging).
1000mA  (a sensible power requirement, unlike the Pod Go)
All metal construction

Re DSP usage the manual refers to using up to 11 effect modules simultaneously - I think you can still hit DSP limits though as the manual says "In some extreme cases the signal processor may become overloaded and display a “System Overload” message. Please try other effect  combos instead".  Unlike eg Pod Go you can only have one effect from each 'type' so if you wanted eg two delays or two modulations this isn't an available option. 

For info, Hotone, Valeton, Sonicake are all the same company, Valeton is merely a registered Hotone trademark (as is Ampero).  But for under £300 (and there's a red one being offered brand new by Sonicake for £262.99) this is an absolutely stonking unit, clearly targeting the Line 6 Pod Go. If I was buying an MFX today, assuming this still sounded good, I'd seriously consider this for for my gigging needs because it addresses quite a number of things that have deterred me from using my Pod Go as a main gigging MFX.  

Firmware updates seem to be regular with real enhancements (rather than just bug fixes). The GP200 seems to have had a new update every 6mths or so, and is currently on v1.40.

Some reservations though:
Line 6 customer support is perhaps arguably the best out there currently - I don't know what Sonicake's support in the UK is like
I haven't seen/tried the unit, so apart from vids I don't know how it feels and sounds tonally especially as compared to Pod Go following the v2.0 upgrade with new cab engine & IR's.   
Build quality appears good, but not sure about reliability or if any major glitches/issues.
The limitation of only one effect per module (and similar to Pod Go its single routing only) might be restrictive for some users, but largely that's how I use my MFX anyway and you can always add a favourite pedal or two in the fx loop. 

I'd be very interested in trying one of these and sharing feedback comparing to my Pod Go but no store near me has one to try.  I'd love to find a modern simple to use mfx that sounds great, was reliable, easy to use/tweak, gig worthy & could supercede my old Tonelabs.   

Just seen a special offer posted by @Rich31k ;;;;;
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/259080/psa-valeton-gp200-for-216-75-and-gp200lt-for-178-83#latest

If I didn't have a Pod Go I'd snap this up but without trying one out and living with it for a while to know if its good enough for my gigging needs, it's still a fair amount to take a flyer on - I bought Pod Go to 'replace' my Tonelabs for gigging, but that didn't really work out as well as I hoped.  The problem is that until you've lived with a MFX for a while it's very difficult to know if it's going to meet your needs. Finding an MFX to fit live gigging needs is a very different perspective to those buying something that they will simply be playing at home or jamming with friends or using to record. 

Voxman

OK, so I've the option to buy this at a great price & it's currently sitting in my EBay basket. 

HOWEVER having read the manuals and watched the videos I think it has a major problem for gigging. Although you can customise footswitches A B C D per patch to switch on/off pedals in stomp mode, the display only shows ABCD - so if you have a dozen patches for a gig there is no way you can remember which footswitch does what in each patch. Unless there's a way to name these switches per patch this important stomp feature is useless for a gigging player. Unless I'm missing something?

(Pod Go had a similar issue with its snapshots and it took Line 6 18 mths before it was upgraded with the ability to name & colour code footswitches)

I hope I'm wrong & I've emailed Valeton/Sonicake for clarification.  If anyone here has bought one please let me know if I'm right?

ETJC

No that’s right. The panel on the side will show you which effects are on and off so if you can remind yourself which each 4 do manually without playing but obviously an imperfect solution. I’ve just used the same code (distortion/mod/delay/reverb) for each 4 switches across all the patches. Again not perfect. 

Voxman

ETJC said:

No that’s right. The panel on the side will show you which effects are on and off so if you can remind yourself which each 4 do manually without playing but obviously an imperfect solution. I’ve just used the same code (distortion/mod/delay/reverb) for each 4 switches across all the patches. Again not perfect. 

Thanks for the sense check. It's a real shame because for gigging that is a huge shortfall but it occurred to me to use it in exactly the same way as you are.  However, for the money I think it's still worth a punt at least to try out for 30 days. What's interesting is that Valeton are doing regular firmware upgrades and only a few days ago v1.50 was released. It's possible, similar to the snap-shot situation on Pod Go, that they will address that.  

Voxman

That's interesting - just noticed it's got a polyphonic pitch shifter and a couple of other polyphonic effects. Probably not brilliant, but then neither are the ones in eg the Boss GX100. 

dazzer22

I Have currently used a pod go and moved over to the gp200, I  don't feel i am missing anything after using the pod go for over three years, I think the only thing is "snap shots"  which i used on the pod go ,  but the stomp mode option is still good and works well , 

Voxman

dazzer22 said:

I Have currently used a pod go and moved over to the gp200, I  don't feel i am missing anything after using the pod go for over three years, I think the only thing is "snap shots"  which i used on the pod go ,  but the stomp mode option is still good and works well , 

Unfortunately I had to return mine as it didn't meet my gigging needs because there was no way to see what fx you were engaging in stomp mode, which is essential for gigging. 

markslade07

Voxman said:

dazzer22 said:

I Have currently used a pod go and moved over to the gp200, I  don't feel i am missing anything after using the pod go for over three years, I think the only thing is "snap shots"  which i used on the pod go ,  but the stomp mode option is still good and works well , 

Unfortunately I had to return mine as it didn't meet my gigging needs because there was no way to see what fx you were engaging in stomp mode, which is essential for gigging. 

I’d agree…it seems a bizarre oversight. I’m only going to do one gig this year so will try and make it work by putting the same fx on the same pedal and labeling them on the actual device, but it’s a crap solution. If it didn’t sound decent, and I could get the PodGo for cheaper, I’d more than likely swap