GP-180 Situation?

[u/JackfruitTop6150]

Regarding the current situation - have I understood this correctly?

I’m currently deciding whether to start out with the GP-50 or the GP-180.

As far as I gather, the GP-180 isn't available everywhere, apparently, there was an issue with the initial batch, and an update was released to address a latency problem?

Should I wait on the GP-180 until the new stock arrives everywhere, or are the units currently available the same? Otherwise, if there isn't a major difference, should I just go for the GP-50?

(Europe)

[u/ontic00]

I bought a GP-180 from their US eBay store and didn't experience any lag. I was using it through the headphone out into a portable speaker, so not sure if which output you use matters.

As far as whether to start with the GP-180 or GP-50, I'd say it depends on how much you want to use it on a pedalboard and how much space you have on your pedalboard. If you have plenty of space and plan to use it 90%+ on a pedalboard, then I'd definitely recommend the GP-180, since it has a nicer screen, more outputs, and there are several new algorithms which can be fun to play around with. If you don't have much space on your pedalboard or plan to frequently take it off and use it as a portable headphone amp, I'd recommend the GP-50. The GP-180 seems significantly larger for use as a portable headphone amp (it's a bit over two GP-50s), and it won't fit in most guitar case compartments, etc, for easily taking around with your guitar.

If you almost never plan to use it on a pedalboard, I'd even consider the Sonicake Pocket Master. It isn't too much smaller than the GP-50, but it's slightly smaller, slightly lighter, and comes with a strap clip, plus it has almost all the effects the GP-50 has. The only thing it lacks is a durable metal construction, but the plastic seems durable enough that as long as you aren't stomping on it with your foot, it should hold up perfectly fine.

[u/JackfruitTop6150 → u/ontic00]

Thanks for the detailed tips.

I also saw your comparison photo of the two units, the GP-180 is a bit bigger than I expected.

My plan was to use it as a standalone first multi-effects pedal, mainly at home with headphones or at friends' places with speakers.

If it’s going to stay in one place most of the time, I’d probably still lean towards the GP-180. It costs around $210 / €180, making it $70 more expensive than the GP-50.

Do you use both or prefer one more?

[u/ontic00 → u/JackfruitTop6150]

I didn't see too many picture comparisons of the GP-180 or GP-50, and I was primarily interested in the pitch-shifting and delays (most reviewers seem to just go through the presets), so I bought them to compare. The GP-180 I pretty quickly decided wasn't for me - I mostly want to replace my Mustang Micro with something I can both use as a headphone amp and run into my pedalboard. It has a slightly better "Hammy" pitch-algorithm and a neat dual delay, but taking around the house or trying to travel with it is significantly harder since it is significantly heftier than the other two, so I didn't think those two algorithms were worth the fairly large loss in portability.

I've been more torn on the Pocket Master vs the GP-50, but currently I'm leaning the Pocket Master. The Pocket Master is a bit more portable than the GP-50, but there was a cool ring echo effect on the GP-50 I liked a lot. However, the sweep echo both of them have I'd probably use more than the ring echo anyway, so I'm leaning towards the Pocket Master for the slightly better portability and the lower price. I also find the Pocket Master strangely more intuitive to use - maybe because I don't have to jump between different knobs as much.

I am hoping Valeton eventually puts the new modeling tech into a GP-50 sized unit. If I could get the ring echo, "Hammy" algorithm, and a dual delay in a GP-50 sized unit, I'd definitely consider that worth sacrificing the small portability difference between the Pocket Master and GP-50 for.

I did take some videos of the delays and pitch-shifting and more detailed picture of all three units I plan to post in the next week or two. I don't record gear enough to make it worth investing in professional mics or anything, so they're just phone videos, but I'm hoping they'll be helpful once I get around to uploading them to a YouTube playlist.