Mooer GE200 Plus | Review

Mooer GE200 Plus | Review

In the last decade, amp modelling technology has progressed at a head-spinning rate. What was once a passable alternative for casual playing has become the go-to method of tone creation for travelling musicians and music producers from bedrooms to the Billboard Hot 100.

You could say that amp modellers are a “mature technology”, and one of the hallmarks of a mature technology is market stability - and with it, greater competition. Yes, there will always be the big boys with big price tags, but we’re seeing the rise of units like the Mooer GE200 Plus which offer tones that compete with the best on the market at a fraction of the cost.

It’s a diminutive and perfectly-formed little unit with just three footswitches, but still manages to pack in a positive feeling expression pedal and a bright full-colour display. It also sports a pretty comprehensive I/O, with stereo XLRs, stereo 1/4” jacks, space for an external expression pedal, a headphone port, and a USB-C port for firmware updates, transferring captures and IRs, and for use as an audio interface.

The user interface is very intuitive, with buttons to easily access all of the effects blocks in the fixed-order signal chain. If you’re in the heat of battle and need a bit less delay, you’re just a button push an the turn of a knob away from the result you’re after, with no menu-diving and no need to pull out your phone and start jabbing away at an app.

While the effect order is fixed and the choices are limited in some slots, this isn’t necessarily a weakness. Option anxiety is a real problem with modellers such as this, so a simplified workflow and a streamlined set of tones can be a blessing - especially if you’re new to using a modeller.

The effects themselves are a mixed bag, but the quality is highest where it counts - the amp and cab sounds. Mooer has a history of excelling in this regard, and the GE200 Plus is no exception. The amp models feel great under the fingers, and sound comparable to the big names on the market, but if that’s not enough you can always load one an MNRS “amp sample” - Mooer’s proprietary amp captures.

The Mooer GE200 Plus represents a genuine alternative to the big name modellers, but at a very affordable price. The feature set may not be as complete as some, but it’ll do 99% of everything that 99% of players will want from it, and the price difference between this and one of the more premium offerings on the market will leave you enough change to buy a very nice guitar…