[–] [S] 1 point 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Forgot to say, yes it's really good for a portable. Built-in interface, headphone - ready, etc.

But at my desk I have the Arena 2000, which is more expensive but has a lot more features and better sound. So I like them both, but it's two different use cases, out and about vs at home with my amp.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago

    That... looks an awful lot like the Donner NHL- or HLX-500 body except for the electronics panel. https://ca.donnermusic.com/cdn/shop/files/7_b9fe6e58-e38b-4173-9227-937be9c16d29.jpg?v=1762832020&width=400 Right down to the wood, which is okoume (I have one.)

    I'm not saying it's a Donner, obviously, I'm saying it looks like an existing style being produced from okoume, so maybe there were production reasons for the shape.

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  •  

    I lost my original list, so I researched and put together another one with the original notes I later found and the help of an LLM, which did a pretty decent collation job.

    The more accurate these are, the easier it is to dial in specific tones with emulations of the correct gear.

    Since I'm usually out there searching for things, it's only fair to post what info I have, so here's the other list for today:

    Donner Arena 2000 — Model Equivalents Reference

    General reference mapping Arena 2000 model names to real-world gear. Compiled from an AI-generated source document (via Scribd), cross-checked against the community list by Steve Baric (woodsnstrings.stevebaric.ca) and manufacturer specs. Entries marked ⚠️ are unverified or contested.

    COMP (Compressors)

    Model Equivalent Status
    LA-2A Teletronix LA-2A ✅
    LA-3A Teletronix LA-3A ✅
    Comp 670 Fairchild 670 ✅
    Comp 1176 UREI 1176 ✅
    SSL Comp SSL G-Series Bus Compressor ✅
    Tube Comp Generic tube compressor ✅
    C2 Comp Likely Cytomic The Glue (SSL-style) ⚠️ Plausible, unverified
    C4 Comp Waves C4 multiband ⚠️ Plausible, unverified
    Dyna Comp MXR Dyna Comp ✅
    Diamond Comp Diamond CPR-1 ✅

    DRIVE (Overdrives, Distortions, Fuzzes)

    Model Equivalent Status
    Tube808 Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer ✅
    Tube9 Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer ✅
    Klonez Klon Centaur ✅
    Rat ProCo RAT ✅
    OCD Fulltone OCD ✅
    Surface Fuzz Analog Man Sun Face ✅
    Big Muff Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi ✅
    P-2 Unidentified ⚠️ Source claims "Boss HM-2, called P-2 in Japan" — fabricated (HM-2 listed separately). Hypothesis: Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone 2 — weak fit: the PT2 released 2024, after the Arena 2000 shipped (2023), and P-2 sits in the DRIVE menu. Needs empirical verification
    Ecstasy B Bogner Ecstasy, Blue channel ✅
    Tube Drive BK Butler / Chandler Tube Driver ✅
    OD3 Boss OD-3 ✅
    HM2 Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal ✅
    SL Drive Xotic SL Drive (Dumble-style) ✅
    Timmy OD Paul Cochrane Timmy ✅
    Fuzz Factory ZVex Fuzz Factory ✅
    2-Tone Unidentified ⚠️ Source says "Zendrive" but Zen OD already covers Hermida Audio Zendrive — duplicate is suspect. Possibly a dual-mode drive; unverified
    Tight Metal Amptweaker TightMetal ✅
    Zen OD Hermida Audio Zendrive ✅
    Triple Wreck Wampler Triple Wreck ✅
    Gem Fuzz Unidentified, maybe Diamond ⚠️ Source offers no identification ("possibly various boutique fuzzes")

    AMP (Amplifiers)

    Fender

    Model Equivalent
    FD 5E3 Fender Tweed Deluxe 5E3
    FD Twin Fender Twin Reverb
    FD Champ Fender Champ
    FD Prince Fender Princeton Reverb
    FD Bman Fender Bassman
    FD Champion Fender Champion

    Marshall

    Model Equivalent
    MAR JTM45 Marshall JTM45
    Mar Plexi Marshall Plexi
    Mar 800 Marshall JCM800
    Mar 900 CH1 / CH2 Marshall JCM900 Channels 1/2
    Mar JVM CH1–CH4 Marshall JVM 410 Channels 1–4

    Vox

    Model Equivalent
    VX AC15 Vox AC15
    VX AC30 Clean Vox AC30 Clean Channel
    VX AC30OD Vox AC30 Overdrive Channel

    Mesa Boogie

    Model Equivalent
    Mexa LS CH1 / CH2 Mesa Boogie Lone Star Channels 1/2
    Mexa RC CH1 / CH2 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Channels 1/2
    Mexa Mark V CH1–CH3 Mesa Boogie Mark V Channels 1–3

    High-Gain American

    Model Equivalent
    Bognar Shiva CH1 / CH2 Bogner Shiva Channels 1/2
    EV 5153 CH1–CH3 EVH 5150 III Channels 1–3
    PV 5153 CH1–CH3 Peavey 5150 III Channels 1–3
    Fireman Dirty Shire Lo Friedman Dirty Shirley, low gain
    Fireman Dirty Shire Hi Friedman Dirty Shirley, high gain
    Fireman BE100 CH1–CH3 Friedman BE-100 Channels 1–3
    Sono SLO100 CH1 / CH2 Soldano SLO-100 Channels 1/2
    Ngo Savage CH1–CH4 ENGL Savage Channels 1–4

    British

    Model Equivalent
    Hiwah 103 Clean / OD Hiwatt DR103 Clean / Overdrive
    HK Triamp CH1–CH3 Hughes & Kettner Triamp MKIII Channels 1–3
    Apple OR15 Orange Rocker 15
    Apple Rock 100 CH1 / CH2 Orange Rockerverb 100 MkIII Channels 1/2

    Other / Boutique

    Model Equivalent Status
    PS Arch CH1 / CH2 PRS Archon 50 Channels 1/2 ✅
    Fams Red Clean / Lead Contested: Baric lists Fame T-64 RS red channels; OCR source claims Friedman Smallbox ⚠️
    CV Legac CH1 / CH2 Carvin Legacy 3 VL300 Channels 1/2 ✅
    Dumbell ODS-100 Dumble Overdrive Special ODS-100 ✅
    Conford MK50 Cornford MK50 ✅
    Fush ODS 30 Clean / OD Fuchs ODS 30 Clean / Overdrive ✅
    Suer Badgar 35 Suhr Badger 35 ✅
    Crown Falcon Tone King Falcon Grande ✅
    Crown Imper CH1 / CH2 Tone King Imperial Channels 1/2 ✅
    Matless Chief Matchless Superchief (Baric); OCR source claims DC-30 — DC-30 is Matchless's flagship, so family is consistent ⚠️ Model variant disputed
    Toroll Classic Two-Rock Classic Reverb ✅
    Toroll Studio 35 Two-Rock Studio 35 ✅
    Morgan AC20 Morgan AC20 ✅
    By 13 JRT Divided by 13 JRT 9/15 ✅
    By 13 LDW Divided by 13 LDW ✅
    MR.Z Maz Dr. Z Maz 18 ✅
    MR.Z Wreck Dr. Z Z Wreck ✅
    Cat Cougar Bad Cat Cougar ✅
    Cat Cub 40 Bad Cat Cub 40 ✅
    JP 120 Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus ✅
    Fman Aure Acoustic Fishman Aura (acoustic imaging) ✅
    Fman LB Acoustic Fishman Loudbox (acoustic amp) ✅
    ARE 60 Acoustic AER Compact 60 (acoustic amp) ✅

    CAB (Cabinets)

    Model Equivalent
    FD DLX 112 Fender Deluxe Reverb 1x12
    FD DLXRB 112 Fender Deluxe Reverb 1x12 (RB variant)
    FD Tweed 108 Fender Tweed Champ 1x8
    FD Tweed 112 Fender Tweed Deluxe 1x12
    FD Prince 212 Fender Princeton 2x12
    FD Bman 410 Fender Bassman 4x10
    Mar 1936 212 Marshall 1936 2x12
    Mar 1960A 412 Marshall 1960A 4x12
    Mar 1960B 412 Marshall 1960B 4x12
    VX 112 Vox AC15 1x12
    VX 212 Vox AC30 2x12
    Mexa RC 212 Mesa Boogie Rectifier 2x12
    Mexa RCA 212 Mesa Boogie Rectifier 2x12 Angled
    Mexa OS 412 Mesa Boogie Oversized 4x12
    Mexa ST 412 Mesa Boogie Stiletto 4x12
    Mexa TR 412 Mesa Boogie Traditional 4x12
    Bognar OS 212 Bogner Oversized 2x12
    Bognar SH 212 Bogner Shiva 2x12
    EV 412 EVH 5150 III 4x12
    PV 412 Peavey 5150 4x12
    Fireman 212 Friedman 2x12
    Fireman 412 Friedman 4x12
    Sono 412 Soldano 4x12
    Ngo 112 ENGL 1x12
    Ngo 412 ENGL 4x12
    ODS 212 Dumble/Fuchs ODS 2x12
    Suer 112 Suhr 1x12
    Crown 112 Tone King 1x12
    Crown 212 Tone King 2x12
    Matless 212 Matchless 2x12
    Toroll 112 Two-Rock Classic Reverb 1x12
    Toroll 412 Two-Rock Studio 35 4x12
    Morgen 112 Morgan AC20 1x12
    By 13 212 Divided by 13 2x12
    Mr.Z 112 Dr. Z 1x12
    Mr.Z 212 Dr. Z Z Best 2x12
    Cat 112 Bad Cat 1x12
    Cat 212 Bad Cat 2x12
    JP 212 Roland JC-120 2x12
    Hiwah 412 Hiwatt 4x12
    HK 412 Hughes & Kettner 4x12
    Apple 212 Orange 2x12
    Apple 412 Orange 4x12
    PS 212 PRS 2x12
    PS 412 PRS 4x12
    CV 412 Carvin 4x12
    Gpson 110 Gibson 1x10
    Acoustic 1–3 Generic acoustic speaker simulations
    IR Slots 1–50 User-loadable impulse responses (slots 51–100)

    EQ (Equalizers)

    Model Equivalent
    3 / 5 / 6 / 10 Band EQ Generic graphic EQs
    Custom EQ User-defined parametric EQ

    NG (Noise Gates)

    Model Equivalent
    Intelligent Gate Frequency-aware/advanced gate
    Noise Gate Standard hard gate
    Noise Reduction Decay-based reduction filter

    DELAY

    Model Equivalent
    Digital Delay Generic digital
    Analog Delay Bucket-brigade style (darkened repeats)
    Tape Delay Tape echo emulation (wow/flutter)
    Echo Delay Generic echo
    Mod Delay Chorus-modulated delay
    Ping Pong Delay Stereo alternating
    TwoTap Delay Dual tap tempo
    Reverse Delay Reverse playback
    Tremolo Delay Delay with amplitude modulation
    LOFI Delay Bandwidth-limited, degraded repeats

    REVERB

    Model Equivalent
    Room / Hall / Church Progressive-size spaces
    Plate Plate reverb
    Spring Spring tank emulation
    Dyna Reverb Dynamic/gated reverb
    Mod Reverb Modulated reverb
    Lofi Reverb Degraded bandwidth
    Tremolo Reverb Reverb with amplitude modulation
    Dist Reverb Distorted reverb tail

    DRUM

    40 patterns: POP, ROCK, BLUES, FUNK, JAZZ, METAL, PUNK, HIP-HOP, LATIN, DISCO — four variations each.

    FX A / FX B

    Model Equivalent FXA FXB
    Wah 535 Dunlop Cry Baby 535Q ✔ —
    Wah 847 Vox V847 ✔ —
    Tempo Wah Rhythm-synced auto-wah ✔ —
    Envolop Envelope follower filter ✔ —
    Intelligent Gate Advanced noise gate ✔ —
    LA-2A Teletronix LA-2A compressor — ✔
    Pure Boost Transparent clean boost ✔ ✔
    Lead Boost Tone-shaped lead boost ✔ ✔
    Filter Generic filter effect ✔ ✔
    Chorus Standard chorus ✔ ✔
    Analog Chorus Analog-style chorus ✔ ✔
    Stereo Chorus Stereo chorus — ✔
    Flanger Standard flanger ✔ ✔
    Stereo Flanger Stereo flanger — ✔
    Vibrato Vibrato ✔ ✔
    Phaser Standard phaser ✔ ✔
    Stereo Phaser Stereo phaser — ✔
    Tremolo Standard tremolo ✔ ✔
    Stereo Tremolo Stereo tremolo — ✔
    Ring Mod Ring modulator ✔ ✔
    LOFI Low-fidelity effect ✔ ✔
    Auto Swell Automatic volume swell ✔ ✔
    Step Phase Stepped/sequenced phase ✔ ✔
    Pitch Pitch shifter ✔ —
    Octave Octave divider ✔ —

    Sources

    • Original list: "Donner Arena 2000 Effects & Models List" (Scribd, AI-generated document) — extracted from PDF via local OCR
    • Cross-reference: Donner Arena 2000 Amp List — Steve Baric, woodsnstrings.stevebaric.ca
    • Verification: Pigtronix (pigtronix.com), manufacturer model pages
     

    I lost my original draft of the Donner Arena 2000 effects, and while I found it later, I had started a new one. I used a decent LLM model to pull some online research together and collate it with what I had, and it did a reasonably good job, so I asked it to do the same for the Donner Pocket Go, and since that was close to hand, I'm posting that first. I like to pay knowledge forward when I've got it, because it's often me out there searching for obscure lists. So here's the first one:

    Donner Pocket Go — Original Model Equivalents Reference

    Comprehensive reference of original factory models only (downloadable community presets excluded — any slot could be something different tomorrow). All identifications based on naming conventions and industry knowledge; unverified entries marked ⚠️.

    FX BLOCK

    Model Equivalent Notes
    NoiseGate++ Standard noise gate Enhanced version
    Boost Clean boost Transparent level increase
    Compress Compressor Basic compression unit

    MOD BLOCK

    Model Equivalent Notes
    Chorus Standard chorus
    Phaser Standard phaser
    Tremolo Standard tremolo
    Flanger Standard flanger
    Vibrato Vibrato (pitch modulation)
    Univibe Uni-Vibe style (rotary/chorus hybrid) ✅ Named-effect reference
    Autofilter Auto-wah / envelope filter

    AMP BLOCK

    Bass-designated slots (16–20) held alongside guitar models deliberately — on this unit they double as homes for downloaded guitar amps. Single unified list.

    # Model Likely Equivalent Confidence
    1 UWE-Twins Fender Twin Reverb ✅ High
    2 UK-C30 Normal Vox AC30 (Normal channel) ✅ High
    3 Mars VM410 Marshall JVM 410 ✅ High
    4 Victor_Mars Marshall variant (possibly Victory Amps collaboration) ⚠️ Medium
    5 BritPLEX_100 Marshall Plexi 100W ✅ High
    6 MarsFD100 Marshall 100W Super Lead / JMP ⚠️ Medium
    7 Eagle_SAVAGE ENGL Savage ✅ High
    8 TH_DieselHGN Diezel Herbert / VH4 ✅ High — "TH" ambiguous, could be THD
    9 PvEV5150 EVH 5150 III / Peavey 5150 ✅ High
    10 FORTIN_CALI Fortin Nameless / Cali high-gain ✅ High
    11 MESS-MktCln2 Mesa Boogie Mark Series (Clean Channel 2) ✅ High
    12 CA_tweed Fender Tweed Deluxe / Champ ✅ High
    13 BogSV20 Bogner Shiva 20W ✅ High
    14 JUICE_JIM Orange, not sure what model ✅ High
    15 Sur_SL68 Suhr SL68 (Marshall '68 Super Lead-style) ✅ High
    16 BassADAtube Ampeg B-15 (tube version) ✅ High
    17 BassAlmbic Alembic F-2B preamp style ✅ High
    18 BassG800K_7 Gallien-Kruger 800RB / 800K ✅ High
    19 BassTR-Trad Traynor Traditional / YGM series ⚠️ Medium
    20 BassMarkT501 Markbass TTE 501 ⚠️ Medium

    CAB BLOCK

    Same unified convention as AMP — cab slots may also be overwritten by community downloads.

    # Model Likely Equivalent Confidence
    1 EAGLProV30s ENGL 4x12 (Vintage 30s) ✅ High
    2 Sperimental Acoustic simulation cabinet ✅ Confirmed by user
    3 JUICE4x12V30 Orange 4x12 (V30s) ✅ High
    4 Mess Bog Mesa oversized 4x12 (Mesa/Bogner hybrid) ✅ Medium-high
    5 FdChamp Fender Champ cab ✅ High
    6 FdPrJunir Fender Princeton Junior ✅ High
    7 Mar960BV30 Marshall 1960B (Vintage 30s) ✅ High
    8 DizzlV30 Diezel 4x12 (V30s) ✅ Medium
    9 Electrovoice EV-loaded cab (EVM12L classic) ✅ High
    10 MessDRectV30 Mesa Dual Rectifier 4x12 (V30s) ✅ High
    11 TwinJensenC Fender Twin (Jensen ceramic) ✅ High
    12 TwedDlx1X12 Tweed Deluxe 1x12 ✅ High
    13 FendShowman Fender Showman ✅ High
    14 J120Rolnd Roland JC-120 cab ✅ High
    15 UK-C30Silvers Vox AC30 (Celestion Alnico Blue/Silver) ✅ High
    16 BassAgula25 Aguilar DB series cab ✅ Medium
    17 BassJensen10 Jensen-loaded bass cab ✅ Medium-high
    18 BassFdBassman Fender Bassman 4x10 ✅ High
    19 BassAmpg410 Ampeg 4x10 (SVT-style) ✅ High
    20 BassEDN300 Eden bass cab ✅ Medium-high

    Special note: The Sperimental cab imparts an acoustic-body resonance character. No dedicated acoustic amp preset ships with the unit — use with the amp block bypassed for acoustic simulation.


    DELAY BLOCK

    Model Equivalent Notes
    Analog Bucket-brigade style (darkened repeats)
    Duck Ducking delay (repeats dip under playing)
    dTape Tape echo emulation
    Dual Dual tap delay
    Lofi Degraded bandwidth repeats

    REVERB BLOCK

    Model Equivalent Notes
    Room Small space
    Hall Large hall
    Swell Swell/gated decay
    Sping Spring tank (as-labelled in firmware)
    Shimmer Pitch-shifted reverb tail
    Cloud Ethereal, dense ambient wash

    Key Observations

    Finding Implication
    Modular blocks FX, MOD, AMP, CAB, Delay, REV are all separate blocks in the chain
    No dedicated acoustic amp Only the Sperimental cab; acoustic simulation achieved via amp bypass
    High-gain coverage ENGL, Mesa, Fortin, EVH, Diezel represented
    Clean headroom Twin, AC30, JVM clean channel present
    Full mix-and-match No enforced amp/cab pairings
    Community expansion Any slot may be overwritten by downloaded presets

    Comparison: Pocket Go vs. Arena 2000

    Feature Pocket Go Arena 2000
    Total amp models 20 70+
    Total cab models 20 50+
    FX selection FX, MOD, Delay, REV blocks Integrated FXA/FXB slots + more
    IR slots None reported 50 user slots
    Portability Pocket-sized Pedalboard unit

    Notes for Future Updates

    • All amp and cab slots are fluid — community downloads can replace any factory model
    • Bass-designated slots routinely host downloaded guitar amps on this unit
    • Amp/cab pairing is fully flexible
    • Official model documentation from Donner not published; all equivalents inferred

    Sources: User enumeration of Pocket Go blocks, cross-referenced with industry naming conventions and manufacturer specifications.