SeriesBoss GT

Boss GT-8...wow. Loads of effects.Loads of amp models.Loads of DISTORTION pedal models! Sheesh...what will they think of next? Anyway this guy has MIDI,USB,PCP... lol. All digital..I think..unless there is something analog on the compression and e.q.'s. Definitely ZERO tubes in this baby. Everything seems to be a model of something. Foot pedal...definitely not rack mountable, (but they do have the GT8 studio version... twice the price... not sure the benefits.. besides sticking it in a rack and then having to buy ANOTHER footcontroller.. grrrrr) UTILIZATION Um...Very simple as far as programming, saving presets, etc. Pretty intuitive, but you will need to consult the manual.... which compared to the manual for the Digitech GSP2101 (yeah, yeah...I have a review out for that) is very, very simple. It is pretty straightforward, but like anything else, when you want to really seriously build your own presets from the ground up..you will have to use the manual..(sorry kids!) Lots of knobs, dials and buttons... so for sound shaping, amp models,distortion models.. easy to get started. The presets are actually not terrible either... so... you can hit the ground running. SOUND QUALITY Mmmm.. varies. I am not so crazy about the cab models...I prefer running this into a tube poweramp, then into closed back cabs as a preamp. Quiet. Exciting high gain models.. clean models are good, certainly usable... bordering on very, very good. I have heard a lot of complaints about digital artifacts and fuzziness from this unit. I think with a good tube power amp, it adds an organic flavor, and couple this with some good warm speakers you can get a bit more tube life and more active harmonics. The effects on this unit are not great...I guess I would compare them all to floor pedal type effects. No TC or Eventide here. They are missing the parameter controls and quality that you would expect from any world class effects unit, but it is certainly usable for live work as an all-in-one solution... very convenient and easy to tweak according to the venue. The highlight models would be the 5150 and Soldano models...not spot-on, but lots of fun. Pinched harmonic madness with either of those. Wah models are surprisingly decent..fair amount of variation and gets very close to Crybaby's etc. Using Les Pauls,Strats,Tele's, other metal-ly type guitars. Run it into a Carvin T100 power amp into a pair of Eminence Cannabis Rex equipped closed back cabs. Sometimes run a Keeley TS-9 and Vox Clyde reissue on the front end for variation. OVERALL OPINION Had this unit for about 2 years now...I like the portability of it, the amount of effects and truly, the overall quality of models/effects are great for such a compact package. You could just take this to a gig and hook it up to the mixing board. Not the greatest and most real deal for dynamics, but it would work as a great backup or for low level type gigs. Instant upgrade hooked into a tube amp and good cabinet. Brings it into more real amp territory.I play a lot of different things...I think this is probably overall superior in realism over the Line 6 floorboard alternatives...( At least for the 2 high gain models.. ) and although I would never really consider going into the studio to cut an album with this (or anything from Line 6 for that matter) It is a great value for overall quality and quantity of effects. Perfect live solution.. with an effects loop to add whatever extra "gotta have" effects into the mix.

The Boss GT-10 Multi-effects unit has just about every effect a gigging musician will need. Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Harmonist,Advanced Amp modeling and much, much more. Boss uses a new technology they call COSM or Composite Object Sound Modeling. While the average guy doesn't have to know what that is exactly, it equates the best sounding Boss multi effects unit to date. The GT-10 is equipt with USB capability, Parralel Effects chain, MIDI capability, and a digital out making recording a snap. It also comes with an expression pedal for various functions including wah, channel blending, pitch bends, and more. UTILIZATION Having been through several BOSS muti-effects units in the past including the GT-8 which was incredibly hard to figure out, the GT-10 is light years ahead as far as ease-of-use. I had it producing great sounds in ten minutes with the EZ Tone function. It took me ten minutes in the past to know the GT-8 was way too complicated and was going back to the store. It also took ten minutes to know the GT-10 was the perfect unit for me and was never going back. The menus are intuative enough for the average guy to understand and manipulate. When I did get stuck, the users manual was clear and concise enough to help me figure it out. SOUND QUALITY The sound quality is fantastic and works perfect through the effects loop on my guitar amplifier. The level control in an easy to access place on the top allows me to blend my volume by foot while on stage to match the loop level. In some cases the GT-10 produces such great tones, I will volume the unit up to allow its tone to dominate my amplifier's core tone. OVERALL OPINION Overall the GT-10 is the gigging musician's best friend. I now have two because I can't imagine going on stage without it. I love its ease of use and the fact that it can do just about anything I need it to in the context of a cover band playing many styles and types of music. The phrase looper is a great feature and is a great way to lay down a simple rythem and practice over it. Some people complain they need stomp boxes as the quality of a multi-effects unit usually falls short. Those players may not have tried the GT-10. The sound quality is unmatched by any unit I have owned or tried in the past. It has also been extremely road worthy and I have had no problems. If I had to find one thing that would be an improvement, it might be an extra long power chord for those places where power is tough to get to. All in all the GT-10 is a great choice and well worth the price!

Why on God's green earth would I be reviewing a product released almost 15 years ago? Well, you'll see as the review rolls on. The GT-3 is a tank. Solid metal casing (blue)with indestructible switches and LED, and 3 green boards on the inside and tough, top of the line jacks that they don't use anymore. I have used this thing for almost 15 years, gig after gig. Probably close to 2,000 gigs if you include studio stuff. It has been used in almost every state in the union, Mexico and Canada. As a working player, I have used it for country, rock, metal, punk, rap and hip hop, randb, jazz, fusion, jam band, and everything else under the sun. I purchased this unit when I was working at a now defunct music store in middle Tennessee. Saw it at a Namm show and was impressed. I was getting fed up with the squirrel-y nature of my pedal board at the time and since I was gigging all the time and getting some road work, I needed something that sounded great and was TOUGH. It turned out to be the most consistent and usable piece of gear I have ever purchased in 20 years of professional music making. I am not sure how much I paid for it, but it was 3% above wholesale. I think it was around $200-$250 dollars in the mid-late 90's. ANALOG DISTORTION!!!! That's what makes this unit a gem. All of today's multi efx floor units use digital circuitry to create their distortion flavors. Today's floor boxes have TONS of amazing bells and whistles, while ignoring the fact that digital distortion is just not what pro players use. Ever heard a pro player in an interview say how much they love their modeled distortion? Me neither. The distortions on the GT3 are created on a green boards inside the unit that copy the circuits of various Boss stomps. You want a DS-1? The circuit is there. You want a Metal Zone? The circuit is there. Not a modeled replication, but the real thing. And to me, that is worth the price of admission alone. And there is a BUNCH of usable distortions in this box. Everything from touch sensitive light overdrive, to blues crunch, to 70's rawk to metal to shred and everything in between. Also, the first thing I did when I got the unit was to test the bypass and see if there was any change in tone. I did an a/b test with the guitar into the unit into the amp vs. the guitar into the amp. No change in tone. Just like using a single Boss stomp. No loss of dynamics either. Boss is known for how clean their bypass is on their individual stomps, and they did it with this unit. Can't say the same for many of the multi's I've tried over the years. The other thing I like about the unit is that while there aren't as many crazy efx as you find in multi's today, there is plenty of usable stuff. The choruses, delays and reverbs are clean, clear and crisp. They use a separate green board inside the unit for the digital stuff. Digital time based efx and analog distortion. The way God intended. I don't use the 'gimmick' efx such as the slicer and the vowel effect very often. But they are in there and work great. And programming patches is a breeze at this point. Depending on what gig and rig I'm using, I use the unit on the 'front end', in the amp's efx loop, or the 3 cord system that goes like this: guitar>GT3>distortions>amp>amp loop out>GT3 loop in>time based efx>GT3 loop out>amp loop in. The only nick on the unit is that the Wah kinda sucks. I put my own wah in front of the unit. The synth tracking is weak, but this problem is prevalent in all boxes that work with analog guitars. A uni-vibe is noticeably absent. But if you use the basics; distortion, chorus, flange, phase, delay, reverb, modulation, whammy, envelope, ring modulation, eq, this box is the best multi that has ever been made. Almost 15 years and close to 2,000 gigs and not one problem. Not one. A look under the hood reveals a simple design and construction that is part of the GT3's toughness. Nuff said. There are a ton of these things on Ebay and Craigslist. And they are cheap. And while they don't have all the crazy 'gimmick' efx that today's multi's have, the GT3's efx palate is full of top notch, usable stuff. And since it doesn't suck tone, you can use your own stomp favs with it. I believe that this box is the best multi ever built. I have tried all the Boss multi's, Digitech's GNX, and Vox's tone lab stuff, and the GT3 has the best FEEL and USABILITY of anything I've tried. I know a few pros who have put them in their pedal boards just for the distortions! This pedal is in my opinion, an underrated classic. If you've ever looked at a multi and said 'I'll never use HALF of that!' and then said 'Jeez, what does all that stuff do to your signal?' then check the GT3. You'll be glad you did. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Purchased over Ebay from private seller in Chicago, USA Updating from Boss ME 5 effects unit. I paid $400 U.S for the unit. Everything! Has so many effects which are preset and can also be modified by the user. Patches can be downloaded from the Internet - especially from GTCentral - a great site for all Boss GT effects units, and downloaded into the GT 6 easily. Amp and speaker configurations sound very much like the originals! I have owned a number of amps ranging from Marshall stacks to Fender and Peavey combos and the sound is very comparable. Will just take a while to learn all the features but this isn't a criticism, more that I have to pull my finger out and spend some time with the unit! Usual Boss quality - tough as nails construction and ongoing performance. My old ME 5 unit is at least 15 years old and has been used live all that time and proved to be very reliable. A great quality unit which is very affordable for all the features that come with it. I'm really looking forward to extending the unit's capabilities ( and mine!) Dale Victoria Australia This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got my boss GT-5 in thoma okaze, down in Ghent (Belgium). I was looking for a multi effect processor and this one was a second handed one for only €325. Well if you have the right combination you can have the most clean sounds ever, without any zooming on the background. The offering of pre-programmed sounds is huge and a lot of fun. You can have everything from a funky sound to the perfect imitation of a Marshall 1959 head with a slight OD. I really like those old rock overdrives and distortions and there are a lot of them too! You won't have to worry the sounds won't fit you, there will some you don't like, but most are very decent. It also has a very nice tuner. You can find almost every function of the little pedals packed and stacked in this one. Well sometimes the thing jams (very rarely though) and i haven't figured out yet why Also when you buy this kind of thing second handed, please ask if they still have the manual, or else it won't be easy. I think every pedal that boss had ever made is very solid, you can't even break the 'lil ones and especially not the GT-5 If you like effects and freaky sounds, this one has got it all, also for the old rock 'n rollers : the "Jimmy Hendrix" sound and the "Beatle" sound is on it too. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

(Originally written by bliss/translated from Audiofanzine FR) I just received it and tested it this evening with my system: Bass: 5-string MM Stingray Amp: David Eden RoadRunner Speaker cabinets: 4x10" + 15" Strings: good condition Lots of great effects, simulations, etc. UTILIZATION Unlimited possibilities and intuitive use. Large LCD allowing a very easy navigation. Robust metallic housing! SOUND QUALITY HUGE sound... FYI I've played with a Digitech BNX, a POD Bass XT, a GT6b. No drop-outs in synth bass mode, powerful and dynamic sound, nice distortion, mind-blowing chorus effect. It's amazing! I will update this review after more testing. OVERALL OPINION I'm positively surprised. A great sounding device. I recommend it if you are an effects freak.