MusicRadar

Your new digital tone compendium has arrived...

View in gallery

• Related News
• Review

As a practice tool, G-DEC 3 is undoubtedly impressive, but you might be forgiven for assuming that the closed-back combo's 10-inch driver and a power rating of 30 solid-state watts confine it to the domestic environment only, even in this, the larger of its two incarnations. However, stereo jack line-outs mean that hooking the amp up to a PA system and getting a satisfying stereo spread is simple. If you don't need to compete with a loud drummer, the 30-watt GDEC 3 is a viable gigging option for smaller stages.

The onboard SD flash memory card reader allows you to save and recall a potentially limitless library of customised sounds and backing tracks via Fender's FUSE software and online community. As a result, this might just be the ultimate do-it-all solution for the many one-man-band guys on the live circuit who sing and play along with backing tracks.

With the rhythm section for a whole live set saved on an SD card, you only need your guitar and the G-DEC 3 and you're set to plug into the PA and go. The only downside is not being able to blame the bassist for bum notes.

Importantly, the front panel's 'band level' control allows you to tweak the level of your backing track relative to your guitar sound. Even when working with the backing tracks that come pre-loaded at the factory, fine tuning of the band level is required on a track-by-track basis as you'll find that some of the guitar tones cut through the mix more than others, while the perceived overall level of the backing tracks varies.

Thanks in no small part to the high-frequency tweeter that accompanies the amplifier's regular 10-inch speaker, reproduction of the backing tracks without a PA is bright and three-dimensional with an impressively rounded, firm bottom-end. But what's really interesting is just how well the onboard guitar tones work in the context of a full band mix. This is a welcome reminder that context is everything; sounds that raise eyebrows in isolation can work perfectly when the backing track is rocking away.

Detailed analysis of G-DEC 3's individual modelled amp tones is largely irrelevant due to the sheer amount of tone-shaping that the FUSE software offers. If you don't like it, you can tweak it. No, it's never going to sound exactly like an original '65 Deluxe Reverb, but to split hairs over authenticity is to miss the point; this is an amp about fun and functionality.

Our only real gripe is that to get the most out of G-DEC 3 in performance, whether that's using the phrase sampler, playing onstage, or jamming in a garage with friends, you need to pay extra for the UTL-4 footswitch (£42.39). Otherwise, G-DEC 3 is solidly built, with an easy-to-understand, clearly laid-out set of controls. As a result, the learning curve is gentle, but there's more than enough depth and flexibility available should it be required. Anything that makes practising this enjoyable is a winner in our book.