Not as advanced as the ProRack G. Works with line level, but not for everyone.

So I got my hands on the G-String II recently to test it out in my rack guitar rig, hoping to downsize from my ProRack G rack noise gate that's been in service for over 5 years now. Rack noise gates are great, but they require a lot of work to really hone in on the perfect sweet spot, although the payoff is definitely worth it.

The G-String II is a downsized version of the ProRack G. It does take line level well at +12 dBu rated input limit, and it does handle high-gain tones well even with the signal that's hot. However, it wasn't for me. Here's why.

First off, the G-String II doesn't have a Filter Tracking knob like the ProRack G. Because of this, the G-String II will be extremely unforgiving on the gain staging of your preamp as well as the entire signal chain, meaning every single imperfections that's beyond your control within the guitar tone will be exploited by the G-String II. For example, in my case, because I was running the clean tone preamp (Synergy Friedman BE/BB) hot at line level, the compressor I'm using (a Keeley Compressor Plus) kept on popping whenever the clean tone was about to clip. Without the compressor, the clean tone just got pushed into an "unintentional overdriveland," therefore causing the Strymon Mobius to clip and glitch at times. With the ProRack G, the Filter Tracking smoothens out the unwanted pops such that the line level signal remains as consistent as possible.

Another gripe I get with the G-String is the fact that if the line level signal clips the noise gate, then the REST of the pedals following the G-String II will clip as well. This is an issue especially for people like me who use rack line mixers such as the Samson SM10 to route stereo delay and reverb effects in parallel, as the line mixer demands line level signals and it'll make controlling the overall master volume difficult in the FX loop following the noise gate. Thankfully with the Samson SM10 line mixer, there are workarounds to make instrument level work; however, I do not recommend it. I tried it, and it presents a whole new set of problems to solve.

The G-String II isn't a bad noise gate in any way - it does the intended job right, which is to keep the high-gain preamps in check for hisses and unwanted noise, probably the ONLY pedal noise gate platform that actually handles hot preamp signals well, but for me, clean tones are of utmost equal importance as well since I'm writing ballad repertoire in addition to progressive power metal, and in my case, the G-String II causes my clean tone to sound harsh.

So my final verdict? Great pedal noise gate platform, but not for everyone. If you're gonna buy one of these, make sure that everything else that follows the G-String II in the FX loop signal chain are all consistently able to handle instrument level. As soon as you start introducing line level gear, even something like a rack line mixer, go with a rackmount line level noise gate such as the ISP Decimator ProRack G.

Overall, 4 stars. It's not a bad pedal in any shape or form, but is setup-dependent.

Orgasmic.

I have suffered the high gain hiss/hum since purchasing my amp(s) and have attempted almost every combination of noise gates in all kinds or positions to no avail.

This. The ISP Decimator II G-String is the most orgasmic pedal I own. I actually own two of these bad boys. If I was held at gunpoint at a guitar tone contest and that I can only have one pedal it would be this, and I would have to fine tune that amp like a mad scientist.