Customer Reviews

Boss GT-10 Guitar Multi Effects Pedal

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I tour and use the GT-10 through a Roland JC-120 Amp. I have no problem dialing in the right sound for any style I may end up having to play. The sounds are clean and professional, and the case is tough as nails. It does such a good job, I can bypass my amp and plug directly into the PA or house system. It's easy to use with a hand full of dedicated knobs, and an expression pedal. It also has a super clean bypass and tuner so I can still use my George L's cables and hear my guitar's beautiful tone. The stereo output is great too. This is the processor I've always been looking for, and I recommend it to everyone.

I guess most who consider buying this are seriously talented guitar shredders. I'm down on the other end. Twenty years ago I bought a beautiful new USA Strat. Very nice. I played it a decent amount for about a year and then just got kind of bored with it and my progress. One problem was that I had very specific ideas in my head about what I wanted to play. That Strat had a nice tone, sure, but it wasn't my favorite band doing what my favorite band does. Having just blown my budget on a $600 guitar, I wasn't really feeling keen to buy a dozen effects pedals at $50-$100 each to experiment with. Eventually, I got rid of the Strat.

These days, however, trying to learn to play is nothing like it was 20 years ago. Now there are Youtube resources, great software, RockBand3, tabs on-line etc. Because of this I started playing again on my acoustic. Eventually I was ready to buy another electric guitar. But I did it very differently this time. I bought a Strat-like Squier on Craigslist for $20. The big money, I put into the Boss GT-10. What a difference! For a novice, this is a *much* better strategy! I *love* the GT-10. LOVE IT! Even my weak little practice amp that I kept from 20 years ago sounds way better now than it ever did with the Strat.

Now the simple, novice-attainable melodies that my favorite music includes can actually be played in the ballpark of that music's actual sound. The fact is that many well known artists have a very distinctive sound. I've come to realize that tone shaping is often pretty close to importance as the actual playing for making the cool and distinctive music that the pros make. Sure, tons of conspicuous talent can make any song pleasant on any guitar, but wow do good effects help with brand identity. Pros are often shaping that very elusive sound using exotic guitars with custom pickups, stacks of amps, controlled recording locations, and tons of high quality effects. The GT-10 brings that to anyone.

The GT-10 has two specific features I like that are particularly excellent for novices. First is the fantastic tuner which experienced pros take for granted; for me to always be playing in tune effortlessly is a big deal. And perhaps the most profoundly helpful feature of all for a novice is the excellent headphone jack support. If I was the next Hendrix maybe all of my neighbors would enjoy hearing my extemporaneous playing while I experimented with overdriving amps in the middle of the night. However, in normal apartments, this isn't terribly likely.

The only thing that I would add to this unit would be a removable module that could be upgraded to add more memory for the looper. I'm not yet very good with the looper, but as a weak player whom no one will want to jam with, I appreciate the potential of using it to provide accompaniment for myself. I first learned about this unit by seeing the awesome DubFX videos (search for "DubFX Insight Into Gear"). While not a guitar player per se, he's the superlative one man band and GT-10 power user (GT-10B actually).

One problem I have with the GT-10 is that it is designed for guitar people who know the guitar culture of lots of knobs and amp stacks etc. To me, some of these design decisions seem weird, but I consider it a way to learn more about exotic guitar gear that I'll never afford.

I'm sure the most talented guitar pros will have much good to say about the GT-10 but I'm excited about its potential for beginners and those who have a harder time getting a guitar to make the right noise. It seems like a lot of money for a novice, but I now believe it's better to economize elsewhere.

A buddy of mine bought a POD X3 and we compared them head up on tone, features, etc. The GT-10 won hands down. PODs are really better for metal anyway...if you want nice clean tones, great overdrives, nice sounds for Jazz, Blues, Americana, and classic rock, THIS is your only choice.

Some people say its too complicated. So just play the presets, duh. Every sound you could want is there. But when you DO decided to dive into the more technical features, you will figure out that this is an infinitely configurable, sophisticated hi-tech tool for grownups and smart people. Even if you dont want to do deep editing, you will still want the GT-10 because the tones are simply superior to every other processor.

The coolest function is the new EZ-Tone...You tell the GT-10 whether you are using a single coil or humbucker, you pick a genre (Blues, Liverpool, Studio, Country, 70's Rock, 80's Metal, etc) then scroll through the preamps listed. Pick one and you go to a grid where you move the cursor on an X/Y grid to choose whether it is distorted or clean, rhytm or lead. You go to the next grid to tell it whether to be wet or dry and how long or short the effects should be. Boom...you have a tone. And the process I just describes takes about 30 seconds. You could literally do it between songs during a gig.

The amp models are a mixed bag, but there are a lot of them and you can definitely find the sound you want. Once you choose your amp, the fun has just started. You get the same EQ controls that are on the real world version of that amp. you can pick the original cabinet it came with or one of a dozen or so. You can tell it what virtual mic to use and where to place it.

Each patch has two preamps...A and B. You can use one as a rhythm and one as a lead, or use them in stereo so you can have a different amp in each speaker. You can also have the GT-10 switch between them by dynamics...pick soft and you're on channel A playing a Fender Twin. Pick hard and you switch to Channel B where you might have a Peavy 5150 set up for a lead. AWESOME.

In addition to the usual assortment of great reverbs, choruses, delays, etc, there are also some fun things like Slow Gear, which allow you to have a slower attack (I use it to emulate a pedal steel guitar) a guitar simulator (change your humbucker to a single coil, your electric to an acoustic, etc) a sitar emulator, a synthesizer that turns your notes (not chords) into synth notes, and a harmonizer that actually knows how to stay in key. Sooooo much more, but I think you get the picture.

The unit is attractive, durable, and well made. The display is easy to read and very versatile. There is usually an easy way to do whatever you want, but you can go deep deep deep into the features to make it really do exactly what you want. It has two assignable Control pedals and an expression pedal for wah wah or volume. You can add a second pedal or switch, and you will want to.

THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH THIS DEVICE IS THIS, AND PLEASE PAY ATTENTION, BOSS!!!!! Line 6 is KILLING you because of their computer interface which allows you to do connect via USB to a computer and tweak sounds with their software. YOU seem to think we like spending half our lives bent over playing with knobs on a device that is sitting on the floor. The GT-10 HAS a USB output, although mine adds feedback and distortion so I just use the MIDI in and out to talk to my PC, where I use a GT-10 editing program that some guy wrote in his parent's basement. FIX THIS!!!!

Line 6 also has a thriving user community where users can easily share tones they have created on a site created and hosted by Line 6. There is no such community for Roland or Boss and they don't seem to be interested in supporting one. Sad. Probably one of the reasons most of the current POD products are in the top ten in Amazon Multieffects while this, probably the best unit sold, lingers at #25.

But make no mistake...even with its flaws, this unit is the best. Get one.

Fabulous! I always wondered why my Amps could never make those special sounds and hold high sustains. I FOUND IT in the BOSS GT-10. Best money you'll ever spend. It'll take you days to go through all the built-in presets (200), but it will be a lot of fun. The only things missing are Drums and Software for recording, although it does have a USB port. It can record about a 30 second loop you can then play with, but havn't tried that. Been using it now for over a year and still lovin it!

I have had this for 2 weeks now and I am in tone heaven. My biggest concern was I was going to spend all my time programming rather than playing, but that is not the case. There are about 100 preset patches that will get you started right out of the box. I have not programmed a patch yet, and instead have been enjoying all the preset patches (with names and sounds that will be familiar) and the amazing tones. If you have used stomp boxes before you will have no problem getting started. I will add to this review as I continue to use the GT10, but here is what I think so far.

Pros:
Lots of preset patches to get you started out of the box.
Intuitive interface.
Durable construction.
USB interface is great and easy to use - recording is crystal clear.
Chorus, flanger, delay, distortion all are top notch.

Cons:
The recording capabilities could be more flexible. Would be nice to record a riff and hold it into memory rather than play a continuous loop only.
The WAH seems a little weak, but perhaps when I begin programming I will get better results.

If you are considering an effects processor do not hesitate to buy the GT10, it will not dissapoint you.

I got the GT-10 because I had about 7 FX pedals and wanted to get more, but the signal going through so many pedals really killed the tone, it sounded nothing like pluggin the guitar straight into the amp, even when all the pedals were off. The GT-10 is great because it has all the effects you can imagine and switching multiple effects on and off only takes one press of a footswitch, unlike single pedals where each pedal has to be pressed to turn on and off. Basically, the GT-10 is like owning like 100 single pedals, theres a ton of different overdrives and distortion, theres reverb, delay, compressors, pre amps, equilizers, chourus, tremolo, slicers, flangers, phasers, wah, auto wah, synthesizer, pitch shifter, looper, just everything!
It is well worth the price! And when you buy one of these bad boys you will never have to upgrade again!

I've used stomp boxes for years and was getting tired of the constraints and the fact that I had to spend $50 - $150 to add an effect. Totalled up the cost of getting the full range of options I wanted and it was well over the cost of this, so I scrapped my pedals and will never look back.
It has the ability to change ANYTHING. If you don't like a setting, change it. It also has the ability to do stereo and assign effects to different output channels.
The best part is that it sets on floor. I paid the same amount as my dad for TC G Major, but he has to spend another $150 on a midi foot controller.

Got this knowing it was an open box order(was opened in store) The seller has very good ratings and said the item was in like new condition. My order was shipped on time boxed well and yes it looked like new and was in perfect working order. I have been playing guitar for almost 30 years and have used almost every pedal ever made. Boss remains #1 on my list. I own a GT-3 and GT-6 now I have the GT-10 and am enjoying the many up dates to this sound machine. There is a steep learning curve with the GT-10 but well worth your time. I would say to anyone who likes the older models..get the GT-10 the sound will blow you away. It's also the quitest pedal I've owned.

I have had this for about two months now and I am still just scratching the surface of what I can do with it! Very happy with the qualitity.