Harley Benton DNAfx GiT Core

I bought this to try out as I'm not a big fan of multi FX pedals and find programming then tiresome.
Equally I find individual pedals a pain to use with power supplies and patch cables.
I hoped this item would be simple to use and compact. I am very happy that it far exceeds my expectations. It's simple to use and programme directly - I've not used the PC software and probably won't - and the sounds are tremendous.
I'm not a 'brand snob' but am becoming a huge fan of Harley Benton gear which always seems to stagger me with it's quality, and value for money.
Well done Thomann

I bought this as a cheap entry to guitar modelling, and for this it does the job: very cheap, many effects and good configurability. It has a few drawbacks that spoiled the fun a little for me, though. I doubt it will replace my old Line6 X3 Live for my own requirements, for instance, or at least definitely not for everything.

Pros:
* Very cheap, I doubt you'll regret getting it even if it doesn't fit your needs 100%! (I definitely didn't)
* A lot of effects and presets, a ton for the price.
* Some of the clean/chorus presets are really gorgeous (leads and distortions not so much, see later).
* You can upload your own IR for the CAB section: it has less configuration options when you choose that, but that's still a cool thing that can be a game changer for some.
* It comes with its own rhythm patterns and a looper too: I haven't used either much, but I can definitely see the advantage of having them, especially in such a cheap device.
* The hardware buttons and knobs are easy to learn and use: modifying a preset on the fly is quite simple and fast.

Cons:
* There's no editor for Linux, only Mac and Windows. I know many won't care: I do, as I'm a Linux user, especially considering there isn't a mobile app either to compensate. I had to write my own open source editor (which you can find on GitHub, if you need it too), which I'll probably use to create my own mobile app to control it.
* Navigating presets is a chore when using just the buttons, as there's 200 of them and you can only go up/down. When at your laptop it's less of an issue, since the editor allows for selecting any with a click, but as I said I didn't have access to an editor until I coded my own. For playing live it could be a problem, unless you put your favourite presets very close to each other.
* While it's true you can get the audio on your laptop, that's only possible using the OTG interface (USB-C) and it comes with a bit of delay: not huge, but unfortunately very noticeable, which makes it hard to play and record. Better to rely on an external soundcard for that.
* There are many effects you can configure, but the order is fixed. It's weird the noise gate can only be set after amp/cab, for instance, and not directly on the guitar signal before anything else.
* There are a ton of presets, but most of them are quite underwhelming. Distorted sounds, for instance, are often muddy and noisy, and I still haven't found a lead sound I can safely say I like. If you want to play metal or hard rock, you'll have a hard time finding a good sound (I still haven't).
* This is not really the device's fault, but there really isn't much of a community around presets. With such a configurable device and an easy JSON based format (PHB), it's a pity you can find very few of them contributed by other people using it. I found a handful of free ones, and just two websites that sell some (I didn't buy any). Hopefully that will change in the future, since to my knowledge the preset format is the same for all DNAfx GiT devices.

Long story short, I don't regret getting this, since I've been having fun with it (especially trying to reverse engineer the USB protocol to write my own editor). I don't know how much I'll actually use it for playing, though, at least not until I can get some better sounds out of it.

First let me say that I ordered shortly before Christmas 2024. It took at total of five to arrive to the US from Germany. So as this was my first (and most likely not the last) order from Thomann, I really do appreciate the quick turn around time.

Now, the unit itself is pretty constructed. I wouldn't go dropping it from a two story building, but that's pretty obvious. For those wondering, the power supply that is shipped with it is rated for 100-240 volts. So it will work with the USA 120 volts system with an EU to USA adapter for the plug. It's got a nice metal casing. The screen is a bit on the small side and can be difficult to read at times. The headphone and aux jacks work well, as does the guitar input. I haven't hooked it up to a PA system, I can't comment on that, but it seems it would be relatively easy to do so.

Hooking it up to my was a bit confusing at first, as the USB cable that's provided will only respond to a USB 3.0 input. I had a difficult time getting my PC to recognize the DNAFx Git Core as an input/recording device. There is a provided OTG port, which I was absolutely flummoxed as to what it did. Turns out, that is a dedicated USB-C connection. Once you connect that, then your PC will recognize it, and you can interact with broadcasting software such as OBS for live streaming, and digital audio workstations. You can also connect a USB-C cable (which is an Android phone charging cable) to a USB-A adapter, and your PC will also recognize it that way. The software from Harley Benton's website is very basic, but it's easy to navigate to edit your presets. Adjusting your presets on the fly takes a little practice, but once you get the ins and outs of doing it, there's a plethora of sounds you can get out it with some tweaks. There's over 200 presets, and 55 different amp models, and 151 different effects. So there's a lot of sounds you get out of it. There's also a built drum machine, metronome, an 80 second looper, and a built in tuner. The tuner is a great feature and it's very accurate.

All in all I'd say that this is a pretty good bargain for your money. Is it a one size fits all solution, or will it replace an amplifier completely? I'd say probably not. However, if you're looking to dip your toes into the amp modeling waters this would be an excellent place to start. It also makes a great companion for home studios and for practicing. There is a bit of a steep learning curve, but once you get over it then you'll really have fun with this.

First off, I want to say there are 200 presets, which for me is really about 40 presets because they sound marginally the same. The OD sounds are very similar. The clean tones are also very close in sound. Oh well, who scrolls through 200 presets while playing. Get your sound and stick with it.
My biggest complaint is that there is no 'Favorite' way to save a few presets or custom presets to use on the fly. OK, so I like number 1, 16, 64, etc....so, I would have to manually scroll between the sounds to get to the one I want to use next. Yes, there are empty slots, but I believe it's only three. I'll have to check more on this, but over all, it's just about 80 bucks. I'll alter the sounds in the presets and set possibly 1-5 manually and make those my go-to sounds as if they were a favorite folder.
I'm not dissing the product. I just wish there were more variables in the tones. Too many sound the same or very close to the same.

TL;DR: Get one.

This is by far the best modeller value out there now.

I run this thing into a Harley Benton GPA100 poweramp, on to a 4x8 DIY cab with Celestion eight 15 speakers. That's less than 300€ right there, and it sounds awesome in this setup.

Great range of amps and FX, and it has all the features many people need - including the possibility to hook up an expression or voume pdeal (I run a behringer one into it).

A good selection of EQs add more value to soundshaping for me. Dialing in a good sound is quick and painfree.

Add to that, the user interface, both the display, and the buttons and dials - are very easy to understand, and it is small and easy to lug along.

Way to go!

I was idly looking at multi-effects when the GiT Core appeared in a YouTube review.

For the price, and the functionality on display it was pretty much selling itself to me.

I'm using mine as a desktop Guitar/DAW interface on my PC, so rather than buy the full-blown GiT with the integrated foot pedal I decided on the GiT Core, plus a separate expression pedal and that turned out to be a tailor-made solution for me, and (I'd imagine) anyone else who needs a guitar interface as well as a fully featured Multi-FX pedal with a brilliant collection of amps and cabs, not to mention the facility to use your own Cab IRs. It's even got a built-in drum machine.

I've had it for a couple of months now, and it's performing perfectly, yet I still get the feeling I've hardly scratched the surface of its capabilities so far.

Why are you still reading this, go and buy one before Thomann realises their pricing is missing a digit in front of the amount they're selling it for.

I first picked up a guitar to make some noise. And this product makes some noise. Be careful when you've got headphones in. I mostly play bass and there are some very useful sounds in here for the low end.

The biggest job will be trying out the massive variety of sounds to make my own.

Also, I dropped it on day 2 and it still works perfectly. So, it's robust as well as useful and fun. But trust me on how robust it is. No need to test the theory

Tracking system is excellent too. Could track its journey to the UK in here. All round great product, especially for the price.