Like many guitar players, I've always wanted to be able to practice through headphones and still get a decent sound from my guitar. I bought my iGTR after trying a bunch of headphone amps. Rockman, Zoom, CTech and many others over the years have left me flat (no pun intended), so I wasn't expecting much from the iGTR. I was pleasantly surprised and here's why:
Form Factor
The unit is a little bigger than an iPod and it clips securely onto your guitar strap or belt. I put mine on the strap just above the strap button on the upper bout of the guitar. That way, the controls are all right at my finger tips.
Speaking of the controls, they are simple and very easy to use. Three jog wheels control Drive, Modulation and Time effects. Additionally, there is a switch associated with each jog wheel: Bright, Normal and Warm for the Drive effect; Phaser, Tremelo and Wah for the Modulation wheel and Delay, Chorus and Reverb for the Time-based effects. Operation is simple - select a switch position and then dial in the amount of the desired effect. Much easier than navigating through menus as you have to do on many similar devices.
Sound
I know it's subjective, but to my ear, this thing sounds closer to to the sound of my guitar running through an amp than any other headphone unit that I've tried. The effects sound quite natural and the guitar's sonic qualities shine through. My 335 sounds like it's suppose to and so does my Strat. I am holding on to this because of the sound - I've gotten rid of every other headphone/practice device that I've bought.
Input/Output
You plug your guitar in one end and a set of headphones/earbuds in the other. Turn it on and play - couldn't be simpler. You can also plug an iPod, another iGTR, a metronome, etc, into the auxiliary input. Nice feature to be able to play with another person or backing track. You can also use the auxiliary output for another set of headphones, or to send the signal to a recording device, another iGTR or any other external device. Very nice.
My Enhancement Requests
This unit would be close to perfect if it had a built-in metronome or drum machine. I'd also like a little more control over the effects. The phaser, delay, chorus, reverb and tremelo are great, but I'd use every one of them more if I could tweak their levels a little. And finally, a tuner would also be a great addition. I know that any of those enhancements would complicate the user interface, but I'd be happy to pay that price.
Summary
The best guitar headphone amp that I've used, and I've used a lot of them. While some units, like the Line6 Pocket Pod, offer more sounds and more control, I definitely prefer the iGTR for it's smaller size and ease-of-use.
Pros: Ease of use, great sounds, small footprint.
Cons: No metronome or tuner, EATS batteries.
Recommended: Yes
