Boss GT-10

I sat in the store with this unit for an hour or so but couldn't get anything out of it. You really need to go through the manual and sit tweaking it for a few hours to get what you want. Once you get past the learning curve its smooth sailing though. I attribute some of my difficulties with this unit to being a total noob in the multi-effects processor world.

I've just started playing again after a 10 year hiatus so I run my 1985 Kramer Pacer Carrera directly into the GT-10 and then straight to headphones and it sounds great. Some of the presets are completely useless but others are tremendous sounding. If you take the time to screw around with it there probably isn't a tone you can't get with this thing. For someone like me this is the most bang for the buck and the more I think about it this thing is probably way more than I'll ever need.

Seems to be built well. I thought it would be heavier. It looks and feels sturdy so I don't forsee any problems.

Haven't need it yet

I started playing guitar when I was 7 (1988) years old but haven't played at all since the late 90's and I am completely astonished at how far effects processors have come. This unit has all of the versatility i could ever need while maintaing the quality sound of boss stompboxes.I play everything from 80's metal to Ambient and it gives me a great tone every time. My only complaint is that it could be a lot easier to figure out for noobs like myself.

It??s much more easier than the GT8. But I have spent some time to handle it. The manual is good.

The Presets are ok. But I never used Presets, because they are not my sound. So I tried to find my sound. The clean ones works good. And the effects sounded well. The pitchshifter, humanizer, vibrato are excellent! But the distorted sounds were bad. None of them I can use. It??s very eighties-like. But now we have 2008! Many of the amp-models don??t work. Perhaps a tube would be a help? No, I don??t like it. For exampel: You can??t turn down the volume of your guitar for cleaning the distortion. Oh, of course, you can. But it sounded awful!

I would never use it for a gig, because there is no keylock function. Perhaps I would use it for some recordings. But only the clean ones!

No problems.

Perhaps you can??t expect too much from a multieffectpedal. But on the other hand a VOX Tonelab sounded really much better than the GT10. But the VOX don??t have all the really good things from the Boss. A crossover is the solution! I play different styles of music. From Abba to Zappa. The GT 10 don??t help me and I think I??ll give it back.

Let me start by saying that this unit was a replacement for a Pod XT Live.
This unit was fairly easy to use, you can pretty much plug it in and start playing in minutes with the preset tones.
The presets are all pretty good, but not great in my opinion. I am sure if you tweak and dial them in that you can get top notch tones out of this, but would expect the folks at Boss to try a little harder to get real world tones rather than synth type outer space noises.
Manual was ok, but not great compared to other modeling pedals I own (which came with actual encyclopedia type manuals)

Using it with a computer to dial in tones was anything but easy and that is where this units suffers in my opinion, especially compared to the competition. For that reason alone, I can only give it a 6 (a 10 on basic use, but a 2 when trying to use with a computer for any reason)

I give it an 6- it is very easy to use unless you want to use it

I am using this with a Randall Rack preamp, and Power Amp. Main reason I bought was for MIDI effects and channel switching. The effects in this unit are excellent, but the amp models are lacking a bit when compared to my POD, especially the high gain stuff, the pod nails high gain amps models, while the GT-10 does very well on clean stuff.

I am sure it is a solid dependable unit, I have a ton of Boss Pedals and never had any issues ever. they are backed by Roland who has been around for a very long time. Would certainly trust as well as any piece of electronic gear. I would never gig without a some form of a backup regardless of the manufacturer. Actually this woud be the backup for my preamp should it fail and vice versa. Even if my power amp failed, I could plug into the house PA and still do ok.

Don't know, I assume Roland and boss are solid and well supported. Cannot survive these days otherwise.

I give this a 7 overall. As a Multi Effects/ modeling Unit is has to do everything well, not just certain things. The poor computer interface actually forced me to trade it in for a POD X3 (30day Sam Ash policy rocks!)which I think is significantly better than the Boss GT-10 in most areas, but soaringly better when it comes to plug and play on PC.
I will give the GT-10 kudos for the loop feature which is missing altogether from the Pod, but it is not enough to make it a better peice of gear.
If Boss took notice and improved the PC interface, it would compete in my opinion.

There is somewhat of a learning curve. Clean and crunch tone come easy but heavier overdrive tones can be a challenge. The EZ Tone feature is kind of interesting but it hasn???t really done me any good yet. It really is easy to program once you get used to the layout of things and it is amazing how many cool features and functions are tucked away in this box. If you don't like to turn knobs this might not be the box for you but if you want something incredibly versatile, this is it.

The GT-10 is capable of some amazing sounds, I like the old Marshall tone with a "byte" that cuts through the mix and this thing has it. I mostly play it through a powered monitor or headphones but also have used the GT-10 to drive a stereo power amp into 2 Carvin Legacy 4x12 cabs with Vintage 30???s and it sounds awesome.

All metal chassis, solid switches, knobs and connectors, this thing just inspires confidence. I bought this thing used several months ago (while my X3Live was off getting repaired) and use it almost daily and it hasn???t hiccupped even once.

I haven???t needed or used customer support so I can???t comment on it.

If you are comparing the POD X3 Live and the Boss GT-10, take my advice because I own both and stay away from the X3 Live, it is terribly unreliable and plagued with problems. The GT-10 sounds great and top quality stuff.

All of the options on this unit are not only easy to use but very easy to access and navigate through. Once the manual has been read (it is very well written and layed out)and editing is understood,I am confident that anyone, even with minor experience with these units can obtain any sound imaginable. The onboard tuner and looper are nice features and the screen is very well illuminated.

Currently I run Les Paul, Telecaster and Dean through the GT-10. I experience less noise with this unit that with my live rig in which I use a Hush to suppress any excessive noise. Very happy with the output selector (you can chose your output options eg. Headphone, small amp, combo amp, stack etc..)Playing everything from Southern Rock, Hard Rock, Pop, Jazz and Prog., this unit may end up in my live rig. Adjustments to parameters can be made on the fly with the edit function. So simple. There isnt a sound I have not been able to get from the GT-10.

Boss products in my opinion are awsome. Beeing a guitarist for over 30 years I have used most stomp boxes out there. I have only had one Boss product fail in all these years so I am confident in the reliability of this unit.

Never had an issue with Boss.

I compared and researched this unit for quite some time before purchasing. I love the convenience of having everything I need without having to deal with wall warts, cabling etc...This unit not only met but exceeded my expectations in a multi effects unit. A gig bag included would have really been the topper. I wont gripe though. Its worth every penny. If you can imagine the sound, you can create it.

OK, this is in response to the previous poster who apparently does not understand how the unit works. First off, if you don't create your tones with the system that you are intending to use it for (and the volume you will be playing at), then what's the point? He makes tones based around cheap monitors and then expects it to sound the same into a full-sized PA? Doesn't work that way. He wouldn't set his tone on his JVM or Dual Rec with a 1x8 cabinet and then plug into a 4x12 and expect to get the exact same sound without tweaking his settings, so why should he expect it from any other piece of equipment? This is one of the biggest problems with people using these units: they make patches through headphones or small speakers, or whatever and then expect them to sound the same through all other output devices. If you aren't savvy enough to grasp the concept that your amplification device has as much to do with the tone as the unit itself then you might should stick with a nice single-channel amp and Tubescreamer. Play some nice 12 bar blues and be happy you don't have to worry about programming some computer to make your tones.

Second, the Output setting *DOES NOT MEAN ANYTHING IF YOU AREN'T USING THE PREAMP BLOCK*. So he can use his Marshall preamp and disable the on-board GT10 preamps and whatever he selects as the Output will not matter. It only changes your tone when you use the onboard preamps... which is the way it should be. Internally it makes adjustments to the amp model EQ'ing to compensate for the output device and if the amp model is not active then this adjustment does not occur. So I don't know what he's hearing, but it's not coloration by the output setting with the amp model bypassed.

Lastly, he says the effects are 'top notch' but still give the unit a '2' for sound quality? Give me a break. For the price point of this unit, even if you don't use the amp models, the quality of effects warrants a much higher score.

Much easier to tweak than the previous versions. There's a "tone grid" which helps you visually to find your sound, and a library of "EZ" tones. I don't use it at all, since I'm accustomed to GT units (having owned the 3, 6 and 8 before) but it should be useful for beginners. I just miss the real buttons available on the GT8. Fortunately, one can now come back to a menu and find immediately the last parameter tweaked in this menu: it simplifies settings...

Anyway, the FLEXIBILITY of the unit is outstanding, as usual with Boss GT's.

I use the unit live and through two amps (an electro acoustic amp and a tube combo). That's what GT's have been designed for, IMHO. Various guitars feed this rig (i.e.: Fender Dlx Strat, Gibson LP std, Charvel CH4, Line 6 Variax 500, Takamine EN25, Yamaha AEX500).

The sound quality has been globally improved compared to the previous GT's: less digital "fizz", more "amp feeling". High gain FX's as well as Wah's sound more "natural" and "analog" than before. The overall transparency without FX's is also better. If only they has worked a bit more on digital aliasing...

BTW, the review below is simply and plainly wrong: the output options don't color anything else in the GT10 than the amp emulations. If you bypass the "preamp" or set it on "through" mode (a setting creating a "transparent" preamp), the sound of your guitar(s) and/or amp(s) will stay the same across all of the output options. Is it a true bypass unit? No. But the buffered signal provided will respect your signal more than a true bypass thingy plugged with two bad cables... !-) It requires only a bit of tweaking to find the good LEVEL settings (critical parameter that many users misunderstand; so, they accuse the unit to "alter" their tone).

Through good cables, anyway, the unit is not noisy and shines with the preamp of a true tube amp in its loop - that's what users call 4CM: see the related topics on Bossgtcentral if needed.

Of course, the output options themselves and hence the amp tones aren't the best possible in any situation: for its "guitar amp input" modes and "power amp" modes, Boss has apparently copied the EQing of Line6 units, making the high range roll off sooner than in previous GT's. It's probably done to kill the fizz... But it tends to "strangle" the sound, too middy with high gain settings. Furthermore, Boss has a bit charged the high mid content of many amp sims in high gain (some people talk of a "c*cked wah" kind of tone and that's a good definition of the phenomenon).
Fortunately, there's seven CUSTOM preamps to tweak, with enough parameters to make them sound as you want, and even to match efficiently the preamp of your amp.
The output option can be tweaked too: I use "Line/phones" and blend an amount of cab sim ("flat mic", center pos., 10cm away) to an amount of direct signal. I add a bit of mids over it. Through the FX loop of my amp, these settings make the Boss preamps sound largely like my various tubes preamps.

No need to comment the various FX's: modulations, delays, reverbs etc. are as in the previous GT's. IOW: not necessarily "impressive" but always reliable and musical.

If the 10 is like its predecessors, no problem: I've tweaked during hours a bunch of Boss unit and no one has never failed.
No bug and no hardware problems here, anyway - unlike with the PODX3L, that I had bought and that I've immediately returned for this reason...

I've never used it so I can't rate it.
I just think that Boss should really open a dedicated forum and create a dialog with the users... For the moment, they listen (that's already better than in the past) but don't reply directly: Line6 should give them some ideas here.

I'm playing since 1981 or something like that. The GT10 is my 14th digital MFX (if my memory serves me). Thx to its unmatched flexibility (at least in the world of mainstream modelers), it fulfils my needs more than any of my rigs or MFX's before. Much more in fact than the various POD's and Tonelab's that I've returned these last years... I don't give it the highest rate, nevertheless, since the cab sims could be improved: it's still the weakest part of Boss modeling.

Unprecedented features for a floor unit. There's a learning curve for anything beyond the presets and quick starts.

Sorry, but no go. I spent weeks trying to recreate the sounds of my Marshall JVM and Mesa Dual Rectifier with the hope that I could replace the half stacks and run the GT-10 direct to the house. I realize it would be impossible to truly recreate that in a digital stomp box, but I was hoping to get 80% there. I came pretty close with one of the Marshall preamps through a set of cheap home monitors, but as soon as you plug in to anything else, it sounds crappy again. Therefore, you cannot predict how the final tone will sound through various PAs, amps, etc.

The problem for me in the end was the fact that you cannot bypass the Output settings. It doesn't matter which setting you select, they all completely color the tone with an unnatural sound. For the heck of it, I also ran my JVMs preamp through the GT-10 and set it as the only preamp. It sounded better than the COSM Marshall preamps, but again, the Output setting colors the tone and completely fails to let the natural tone of the amp shine through.

As for the effects, they are top notch for a floor unit. They ain't no G-Major or anything, but they are excellent. The Wahs are much better than the older GT units, but still won't replace a real pedal. However, if you run the unit through the FX loop of your amp, you're still succumbing to the sad fact that the Output section of the GT-10 is going to color your tone. Because of this, I find it hard to place much value on the unit as a whole, and would prefer to have my money back.

Built as well as anyone could expect.

Like I said, if I could come close it would be a go. What killed it for me was not being able to bypass the Output effect, and also the fact that it takes too much time on the floor or at a table to configure things beyond the presets.

From what I've been reading, it sounds like the POD XT3 Live runs on the same principle, though I don't know if you can bypass any output settings.

For now I'll continue to use my Line 6 Spider III 75 live - that doesn't sound great either, but it beats the GT-10 by quite a bit for a Marshall sound and keeps me from having to lug the half stacks around.

This product is one of the easiest pedal boards i have used. ive used many other pedal boards but none this easy. not too many knobs to worry about.

im using an aria anniversary guitat with gibson 57 classic pickups with the marshall mg250dfx with 2 celestion vintage 30 speakers. with the boss gt-10 the sound is awesome. the clear tones are very clear and there is little to none feedback when using heavy distortion.

what is there to say its a boss product havent had a problem with one yet.

havent ever had to call or e-mail them

overall the boss gt-10 is a reliable powerhouse of a pedal board. it can give you any sound or tone that you are looking for.

I previously had the GT-3/6/8 which had basically the same patch editing mechanism but things are much easier on the GT-10, you can edit 4 parameters at once for each effect you select in both "simple" mode or full parameters mode.
The interface is much more user friendly and it's actually making tweaking almost fun.

The GT-10 has many tremendous additions over the previous versions:
- The looper needs some practice to get perfect timing but the real deal with it is that you can record a phrase "dry" and while it plays back, you tweak the parameters to get the exact sound you're looking for.
- The parametric EQ is now visual, you can actually see the EQ curve. Great.
- There's a new 10-band graphic EQ.
- USB connection for sound recording. Great feature, I can plug the GT-10 directly in my laptop for sound recording.
- 2 independant effect chains: really interesting possibilities when you use the 2 channels at the same time because any effect can be placed before or after both channel or only one channel. You can design a patch having channel A going directly to the output and channel B going thru delay, then pitch, then reverb.
- There's now a PreDelay parameter on the reverb that adds more space to your sound.
- You now have 2 CTL pedals

I'm giving it 10 for the sound quality because I think it does sound the best compared to similar gear in that price range. Having used the Axe-FX and Eventide reverbs/effects, I would normally give 8 or 9 here but I decided to base my rating on quality/price ratio which is fabulous for this thing.

The Gt-10 sounds really great, much better than the GT-8 and the PodXT pro I used to own. It's really responsive and sounds much warmer than my previous modelers. I don't know if it sounds like a real amp nor do I care. The fact is that I love the sound it produces and that I can connect to that sound and that's what is important to me.

The clean sounds are fabulous and so are the crunch sounds. I'm not really into high gain and distortions so I will not comment on those but I really love the TS-808 emulation.

Of course, the presets sound crappy and it's perfectly normal because you are not using the guitars they used to create each preset. For the same reason, even your own patches will probably sound good only with the specific guitar you use to create them.

If you are a little bit patient with parameters tweaking (read the manual, it's really valuable) and watch your levels all the way up to the output, you'll get really great, inspiring sounds from this unit.

I've had tons of BOSS stuff over the last 20 years and never had a single problem. The GT-10 is built like a tank and seems bugless so far.

never dealt with them.

Played amateur for 25 years mostly Rock/Blues and Jazz. I'm using StratSRV/LP custom shop/Gibson ES-175 -> GT-10 -> BBE 362 -> high quality PA. I never gig but I record a lot and I love this thing for direct recording.

Modelers are getting better and better, It's scary. In a few years, it will be impossible to differ a modeler from a real amp and stomp boxes. The GT-10 might not be right there for anyone but it's getting really really close. The future looks bright.

For around $500, it can not get any better.