Fender G-DEC. Learning to Play with a Futuristic Baby Amp

Is there anyone who still doesn't know that Fender is one of the most important companies in the guitarist's world? In guitars, basses and amps alike, this company represents the most legendary models, used by practically all the greats of music. This confirms the genuine quality of Fender products, since there's little that beats its professional range.

At this point, we're surprised by this little "G-DEC" that landed in our hands for a test bench. It seems logical to think that the market has very different niches to cover: people who are starting out, who are learning and who can't (and perhaps shouldn't) buy expensive, powerful amps until they're really into the guitar scene. Our minds instantly associate Fender with the high end, but like all companies, it has more affordable product lines, made from different types of materials and production methods, to suit different consumer segments (by price and level).

Opening the box
Fender's proposition is honest, since the box itself shows a cute, very young guitar student. This detail shows the company's intention with this product before you even try it.

A compact, low-volume combo with the traditional, exquisite Fender finish that includes, as on its latest-generation "amps", a digital control section.

What can you do with the G-DEC?
The truth is that once you plug in your guitar and start poking around, the teaching ability and multi-functionality of this little amp are surprising. Let's go through its possibilities one by one:

- Tuner. A practical and very simple digital tuner that lets you keep the guitar in tune at any time. This feature is useful both for the most experienced players and for the most absolute "newbie", because even if they have no idea how to tune, they'll get perfect tuning.

- Rhythm and backing unit. This section caught my attention because, although it's basic and simple, it has a good variety of styles that are "well arranged and sound pretty tight". Obviously, a musician beyond the amateur level will find these resources lacking if they're looking for creative uses, but for beginners and even for more advanced guitarists, the possibilities for doing exercises are really interesting. Let me explain. The sequences have a certain flexibility. On the one hand (naturally), you can set the tempo you want for the backing; on the other, you can select the style you want to play over: heavy, blues, metal, pop and many more, with grooves that clearly match each type of music. Then you can choose the key you want it played in.

Well, with all these options it's very educational, because if you want to practice scales, you can put on a blues (for example) and keep changing the key of the backing to practice all the blues scales you know and cover the fingerboard in every key. You can repeat this in different styles to practice scales, chords and even various techniques depending on the effects you're applying (at the same time) to the sound of your lead instrument. From a teaching point of view, I think this section is what I liked most about the amp.

- Effects unit. The G-DEC has a multi-effects unit. With reasonable quality for its price, you have a great variety of sounds, such as distortions, wah, reverb, delays, chorus, flanger, phaser, etc., etc. You can edit and save presets, as well as adjust the level, depth or repeats. It's simple and intuitive to use.

- Amp modeling. In this section the machine offers plenty of modeling types, covering, strikingly (considering its price and size), a large number of "authentic" and very different sounds. From here you also control gain, bass, mid and treble levels, compression, timbre and the noise gate.

- Utilities. A section for editing and storage.

- Connectivity, auxiliary inputs. The G-DEC includes a guitar input, headphone output, MIDI in and out, tone and volume controls (knobs), as well as a ¼" jack input on its rear panel and an RCA stereo auxiliary input (two inputs, one per channel). From the auxiliary panel you control the signal from the auxiliary inputs.

- Phrase recording. On the amp itself you can record everything that's playing through it, that is, rhythms, guitars, backing, etc. This means that, once again, it's perfect for practicing. For example, you select "Chicago blues" in rhythms and backing, work out the chords, and when you're ready you hit play and rec. Now you've recorded the backing track with your rhythm guitar and you can play your solo over it. The main limitation of this function is the short amount of time you can record. For taking your first steps and practicing, it's got something going for it.

Conclusions
I think that if you've read the test bench, you'll be clear about what this Fender G-DEC is all about. In any case, let me sum up my impressions. It's an amp reminiscent of the traditional "babies" (small portable amps), clearly designed for beginners, practice and learning. Within these parameters it shows decent quality and, always from this point of view, offers a wide range of resources for practicing scales and chords over various types of music. You can also start getting familiar with different effects and how they're used, traditional amp types and their sounds, play along with CDs or MP3s (by connecting your player to the auxiliary inputs), tune up and even play around with MIDI, since it has inputs and outputs (as I've already mentioned). As for its price, although it's made in China, it's a Fender, which means (besides bragging rights with your buddies because your amp is a Fender) manufacturing guarantees backed by the brand's tradition, and paying accordingly.