The TC Electronic G-Force is a rack-mounted effects processor for guitar, and MusicPlayers.com's reviewer Scott Kahn described it as "commonly regarded as one of the best high-end rack effects processors for guitar"1. Rather than a single-effect pedal, it gathers a full effects set in one unit: Reverb, Delay, Chorus/Flanger, Intelligent Pitch effects, Filters including Wah, Compression, Noise Gate, Tuner, Panner including Tremolo, and Drive1. For a player, that means one box in the rack can handle time-based, modulation, dynamic and pitch effects at once, in the tradition of rack multi-effects units.
Effects and presets
The G-Force's effect set spans the main categories a gigging player reaches for1:
- Reverb
- Delay
- Chorus/Flanger
- Pitch (Intelligent)
- Filters (includes Wah)
- Compression
- Noise Gate
- Tuner
- Panner (includes Tremolo)
- Drive
It ships with 225 Factory presets, and internal memory holds up to 100 User presets, so a player can keep a full show's worth of patches on board1.
Connections and MIDI
The unit has unbalanced inputs and balanced outputs1. On the control side, it uses a standard DIN-5 MIDI cable, and neither it nor its sibling unit provides phantom power to MIDI foot controllers, which matters if you plan to run a MIDI pedalboard from it1.
For tempo-synced effects, Molten Voltage added the G-Force to its list of effects that can sync to MIDI Clock in June 2014, using CTL-Sync via the unit's Tap Input Jack2. That makes it possible to lock delays and other time-based effects to a MIDI Clock source in a larger rig.
The G-Force does not provide phantom power over MIDI to foot controllers, so a MIDI pedalboard will need its own power arrangement1.
Where it came from and what it cost
The pricier G-Force is manufactured in TC Electronic's homeland of Denmark1. When MusicPlayers.com reviewed it in March 2007, it carried an MSRP of $1,795 and sold for approximately $1,4991. TC Electronic also sold a G-Force Artist Card for $159 at that time1.
What reviewers said
MusicPlayers.com's Scott Kahn, reviewing the G-Force alongside the G-Major in March 2007, was direct about its sound:
"When it comes to sound quality, the G-Force is a processor to be reckoned with."
He added that if a player's tone is not gorgeous sounding through the unit, it is simply not dialed into the rig properly1.
Videos
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Questions
How many presets does the TC Electronic G-Force have?
The G-Force ships with 225 Factory presets, and its internal memory can store up to 100 User presets of your own. That gives players a large bank of ready-made sounds to start from, plus room to build and save a personal set of patches for a rig.
Does the G-Force sync to MIDI Clock?
Yes. Molten Voltage added the G-Force to its list of effects that can sync to MIDI Clock in June 2014, using CTL-Sync through the unit's Tap Input Jack. That lets time-based effects such as delay follow the tempo of a MIDI-based rig.
What effects are in the TC Electronic G-Force?
The G-Force covers Reverb, Delay, Chorus/Flanger, Intelligent Pitch effects, Filters including Wah, Compression, Noise Gate, Tuner, Panner including Tremolo, and Drive. It is a full effects set in one rack unit rather than a single-effect processor.
Where is the G-Force made?
The G-Force is manufactured in Denmark, which MusicPlayers.com describes as TC Electronic's homeland. The publication noted this in the context of the unit's higher price compared with its sibling, the G-Major.
What did the G-Force cost new?
When MusicPlayers.com reviewed it in March 2007, the G-Force carried an MSRP of $1,795 and sold for approximately $1,499. TC Electronic also sold a G-Force Artist Card for $159 at that time.
Sources (2)
- TC Electronic G-Force vs. G-Major, MusicPlayers.com, 2007-03-07
- MIDI PedalBoard Devices: 28 Effects that can sync to MIDI Clock with CTL-Sync, Molten Voltage (blog.moltenvoltage.com), 2014-06-12
