Neural DSP has quickly established itself as a leader in amp-modeling hardware, earning raves from guitarists for its authentic-sounding amp emulators. The Finnish firm’s Quad Cortex pedal immediately impressed us with its intuitive, well-designed layout and inspiring amp tones. And right now, you can get the Quad Cortex with a free Quad Cortex GigCase — a $119.99 value — and Eminence IR Sampler Pack at Sweetwater for $1,699. It’s just one of hundreds of great deals for guitarists during Sweetwater’s Black Friday Sales.
We’ve explored a wealth of amp emulators at Guitar Player in recent years. And while all of them have impressed us with their great tones, the Quad Cortex immediately stood out from the pack. Neural didn’t miss a thing with it. The guitar and bass amp emulations of Marshalls, Dumbles, Mesas, Fenders and many other classic brands sound authentic, with the nuances of depth, detail and air you would expect only from the real thing.
GP’s editors passed around the Quad Cortex, and while each of us plays a different style of music, we all came away satisfied with what was on tap. Whatever genre we attempted, Quad Cortex had plenty to offer, from ’60s classic-rock crunch to chimey AC30 jangle, glassy blackface-combo bite and twang, and much more. My personal favorite was the Cory Wong Clean Clean Rig preset, a truly clean setting that made the perfect platform for pedals, including some of my favorite outboard units. Add in its Neural Capture capabilities and you have everything you need to add your own third-party IRs, making the Quad Cortex the perfect all-rounder.
And while its presets sound great right out of the box, editing them couldn’t be easier. Simply touch a pedal icon on its screen to show its control parameters, twist one of the lighted foot-switch rotary knobs to change the settings — and that’s it. You’re done.
Beyond its sounds, features and convenience, the Quad Cortex satisfied all of us with its comprehensive approach to connectivity. Whether we needed XLR or 1/4-inch TS/TSR inputs and outputs, they’re all present, along with an FX loop, MIDI, two expression pedal jacks, USB, WiFi and more.
Sweetwater’s Quad Cortex deal makes everything on tap even better. The Quad Cortex Gigcase makes gigging easy with room for the pedal and accessories. Plus, the free Eminence IR Sampler Pack gives you plenty of additional speaker emulations to get even more from the Quad Cortex right away.
Check out more early offers on our dedicated Black Friday guitar deals page.
