Boss GT-3

I've been playing for about 10 years now and I've worked with a few multi-effects units in the past. This unit is pretty easy to use. There's definitely a learning curve but you'll be getting good sounds out of this unit in no time. . The manual is very straight forward and basically just gives you the facts. If you want tips and tricks or anything like that, check out some of the GT3 sites or newsgroups on the web. They really did a good job designing the GT-3- it's simple enough to get up and running quickly but yet it's got enough depth to keep you busy for a long time.

I bought this unit for 2 main reasons. First, I needed something that I could use to record directly into my PC and second, I wanted a quick fix to get some effects to work into my live setup. The GT3 fits my needs perfectly on both counts. As a direct recording device, this thing rules. The amp models are really useful and sound great. As to the question if the amp models sound realistic or not- they're good enough for me. They may not fool a studio engineer or anything but they will definitely put you in the neighborhood of the sound that you're after. As for my live setup, I have my guitar, a Mesa Boogie V-Twin preamp, and a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe tube amp (40 watts, single 12"). The amp models don't sound quite as good when played throught my amp (except for the clean models)- but that's because of my amp, not the unit. It simply isn't realistic to expect a guitar amp to faithfully reproduce the sound of a totally differnt type of amp. You can still get some interesting sounds though- just don't expect to get a convincing Marshall tone out of a Fender tube amp. The analog distortions/overdrives are pretty good as well. As for the rest of the effects, the chorus, delay, flanger, phaser, and harmonizer all sound great to me. Some of the "out there" effects don't really appeal to me (like the autoriff) but I'm sure someone might find them usefull. Plus, this unit has many Global EQ settings that allow you to make the GT-3 compensate for your amp's tonality. This allows you to make the GT-3 work with (or work around) your amps tonal characteristics.

As many others have pointed out here, reliability shouldn't be a problem with this unit.

Haven't had any contact with Roland or their support resources.

Overall, I think that this is a great piece of gear. Boss/Roland really put a lot of thought into this thing. For instance, Boss gives you the option to use an external overdrive. I think that this is a great feature. This way you get to have the best of both worlds- you get to use the GT3 but don't have to abandon your favorite distortion pedal/preamp. I still use my V-Twin pedal for the majority of my distortion sounds but I'm finding new tones in this thing every day. This thing is very versitile. Boss made sure that they designed this thing to be used in a number of different ways and I think that it pays off. There are some peices of gear that simply aren't compatable with other peices of gear. The GT-3 should be able to fit nicely into your guitar rig and "play nice" with all of your existing equipment. Simply put, this is a very well designed, very good sounding unit. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

This is my third review, but what can I say, this things is the dog's proverbials. I have now had this for over 4 months and have learnt some new things about this unit.

1. In the UTILITY section, you can select the Global settings, I set YOUR SETTING to Line Headphones, for some reason though, my patches tone is at it's best with this setting even though I am not using any headphones. My distortion patches particularly sound much better through this, the tone is fairly well preserved under all the gain.

2. Live, this sounds good, I have played my first gigs ever with my band and the sound cuts through quite magnificently, my distortion is very crunchy and yes digital I suppose, but the thing is it sounds quite distinct from other guitar sounds. Using the stereo output helps this sound good through the amp and gives it a "wider" feel. In my band though, I basically have a distort patch (ctrl set to mute), a chorus/clean patch (ctrl set to delay/on), a patch which is just plain clean, (for tuning up), and a distortion/delay patch. When using this in different settings and through different amps, you have to alter patches so they keep their tone. Preamp and SpeakerSim needs editing to control factors such as treble, gain and noise, as does the EQ to control the mids.

Despite this though, sound is excellent, I reckon it is probably THE best of it's price range, possibly one of the best full-stop. You just have to learn how to understand the effects and the way they work and where they work best. If you are unsure, a rack unit such as a parametric eq or basic rack preamp will help even out sound and add more tone if you feel it is neccessary.

No need for a backup, I protect this thing with my life and make sure I store it away properly when transporting it to gigs. I basically either use the box it came in, or wrap it up in soft protective material (jumpers and t-shirts etc) and store it carefully in a bag that has a layer of protective material inside it. I just fear the memory battery failing on me, in which I would have to fork out for a new one and also have to re-program all the sounds I have made.

This unit is amazing, like I have already said many times before, but what's great it that it sounds professional (okay maybe not like an Eventide), i feel that most of the sounds sound professional and also put you in a world of your own. It is fairly affordable, but once you have bought it, there is no turning back. Don't let it bother you that it sounds too "digital" and not "analogue" enough, you will find your sound in here.

This pedal is sooooo easy to use. i didnt read the manual, didnt use ezy edit. i just sat down and programmed in the sounds i wanted

i am using a Ibanez rg with a Seymour Duncan Screamin' Demon humbucker into the GT-3 and into a Marshall JCM900 combo. It sounds awesome. I can get the most brutal sound there is from Meshuggah to Cannibal Corpse to Pantera. The effects are fantastic and the EQ is very good.

I would depend on this and would use it without a backup becasue it is built like a tank

Never dealt with them

I play heavy meatal and this pedal does everything for me. From brutal to rippin lead breaks, it can do anything

Pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it. Manual isn't really in layman's terms but after a couple months you'll get it. Editing patches is easy once you know what your doing.

I have been using an American Standard Strat with it. It does an excellent job. The group i am in has been playing some Metallica tunes and It will do wonders for you if your trying to achieve their live sound. It takes a lot of work to find it but it is in there. The reason it takes so long to find it is because there are so many little minor adjustments and tweeks this thing will do...for instance it has a sub EQ that will change your sound entirely. For Metallica's studio sound you might have a harder time finding this, but with a few rack effects you'll be on your way. (If your looking for that western Unforgiven sound look no further...It will match it.)
We have just been puting these through our PA system and had excellent results. It also will get you a nice Jazz sound and a nice Stevie Ray Vaughan sound. For getting the tone you want i recommend looking through the presets and finding the one that is closest to what your looking for...from that point you can adjust each setting in that preset until it is pretty damn close to what you want...it takes time, but it's in there. For not buying a $1000 dollar preamp this is probably the best way to spend your money. It sounds a hell of a lot better than those individual tinny cheap sounding stomp boxes. Those things'll keep you in the garage forever.

ok...here is were i have a problem. I have only had this happen once in the last year since i have owned it...but one time a sound was entirely different than what i had programed it to. Fear not because i think i am an exceptional case. For some odd reason i turned it on the next day and it was back to normal. I do use it on gigs without a backup because i do have faith in it. I can always substitute another patch bank that has a similar sound if needed. i don't know why that happened but it fixed itself and it hasn't done it since. It's not nearlly as tempormental as the computer your reading this on now is....if that were the case i'd never rely on it.

I know people that use this for everything from jazz to metal and i don't know of a single one of them who doesn't love the thing. I'd definately replace it if it were lost/stolen or broken. It's a good idea to write down all of your settings and keep them in a safe place so if you do need to get another one you can quickly have it set up like the last one. One really great feature is being able to set the overall EQ level (volume) of each patch...that way you can really add some dramatic dynamics to your performance as well as being sure about your level before you change your sound...this works well for the overall balance of the group espcially if you have two guitars doing different things at the same time.

this unit is pretty easy to get a good sound from. editing patches is easy too, the easy edit is pretty useless.the manual is ok but needs more detail about things like the auto riff programming and stuff.

ok the gt-3s effects are awsome and being able to assign multiple effects to the ctr pedal is awsome too. some of the effects are not very usefull such as the auto riff sometimes but theres always someone who can figure out a good use for it. i mainly use it for fast riffs that i have to do and my pick hand gets tired. I like using the wave pedal to controll parameters and other junk..example- use the phaser
use the wave pedal to controll the rate and depth and put them on different times then use the expression pedal to turn the STEP effect on and off and walla....it sounds like wacky space noises! i love this option. you can do things with this magic box that you cant do with individual pedals.thats what i love about it.

Now heres what i dont like about the gt-3
1. the distortion is not that good. it feeds back at high volumes and sounds like rice crispies. PLEASE DO NOT GET THIS FOR A DISTORTION! USE YOU AMP OR AN EXTERNAL DEVICE SUCH AS A METAL ZONE OR SMASH BOX.
2.the eq is very hard to figure out because of the frequency and Q. i wish boss had just put in a regular 7 band eq like in their pedals.
And thats all....
if boss had fixed these problems this box would be perfect.
im giving it a 10 for effects and a 5 for distorion.mkay.

oh yeah! this thing is pure metal. i only worry about the plastic screen breaking is somthing fell on it.

i play in a deftones-a perfect circle-metallica style and this fits very well but i always have to ether use the mt-2 or smash box for distortion.Oh yeah i also have a dod delay, a hyperfuzz, an envelope filter and an ibanez chorus flange in the effects loop. Im using a peavy classic chorus amp.my rig sounds pretty good but i need to get seymours fo my les paul and a monster cable and it will sound good.
If it were lost or stolen id try a digitech rp2000 and if i didnt like it i would get another gt-3. this thig helps me write music but sometimes i get to involved trying to get a good sound that i forget the basic concept of playing guitar....PLAYING THE DAMN GUITAR. so please dot buy this to because you think it will help you write music but to give your writing a kick in the pants and some extra spice

Kinda tricky at first, but just play around with it, youll get the hang.

I use a Marshall JCM2000 DSL401, 40w 8 tube 1x12 combo, all i have to say is give the Metal Solo preset a try with the tone and vol on your guitar backed off. Raise the gain on the clean channel a tad, and solo away. This has a killer Slash, REALLY hot lead sound. Dont use for Clapton/Cream like solos, i stick to my amp for that. Give it a shot!!! Amazing not definition with the Wah on, and left in the up position. Especially good pick-tapping sounds.

Built like a freakin tank man.

Good for pretty much any style. Just play with it, youll find your tone.

I've used rack effects (Digitech 2120, Roland GP-100, TC G-Force, Lexicon GX series) and several other floor multieffect boards. This one is one of the easiest to use.

Ordering effects is a snap. Programming the external switches/CTL pedal top control parameters is the most tedious part of the operation, but it's pretty simple once you get the hang.

This thing sounds AWESOME. I play three different guitars through it (Fender Stat w/EMG active pickups, Ovation 6string with piezo+soundhole EMG pickup blended output, '65 Silvertone short scale Jag style gtr.) I have to use different patches for each to accomodate output levels, but they all sound awesome.

I play mostly clean, but I have to disagree with thos who comment the distortion sucks on the GT-3. You have to balance the levels carefully. the internal level meter is great for checking the output of each effect in a patch, and it is very useful if you use compression and/or distortion in you patch. I suspect those who have trouble with it don't take full advantage of the features if this mighty little box.

I create a variety of sounds with mine, fron Pink Floyd esque solos, ambient violin swells with auto-wahs, Hank Marvin surf to Eric Johnson's clear bell-like tones. Whatever you can think of, you can make the sound. The best way to fully utilize this unit is to incorporate the external pedals to add more flexibility to your live sound.

Very heavy duty. I gig without a backup and I have never had a problem

Never needed any support for a Boss or Roland product, so I can't complain.

Overall a great tool for live or recording. I use this unit in conjunction with a GR-1, several rack and stomp delays, and I've owned several other multieffect units. This is the single best piece of gear I've ever owned. It took a lot less time to really "learn" this unit than any of the rack units I have owned. It may only have 90% of the flexibility of some real high-end delay units, but for one-fifth the price it's teh best value on the market. And it's the best 24-bit unit around. I would buy another one if stolen.

I have been using Boss foot pedals for years and years, and I have always resisted the urge to purchase a multi-effects unit for fear that there will always be better sounding, more flexible effects coming out. When I started playing shows regularly with my Progressive Metal band URSHURAK, I quickly found out that I needed something that would be easier to set up than individual pedals with all those dials to set. So, after trying out a few different processors, I settled with the Boss GT-3 for 3 reasons: It sounds great, it is indestructable, and it will talk to my Roland FC-200 MIDI foot contoller and Roland GR-30 guitar synthesizer. This unit comes with a plethora of great presets that will get you about 75% of the way to "your" tone, but will definately need to be tweaked. The LCD display is great and I love the COSM modeling; you can choose a clean amp, for example, and put a disortion pedal in front of it. Parameter changes are in real time, so you can hear the changes as you are making them. The manual is extremely murky and explains little besides the parameters for each effect. I would give this unit an 8.5 for ease of use, since setting up external control pedals is not explained well at all, nor is latch-type control using the internal pedals. You are forced to experiment to get the sound you want because there is not enough information. This leads to a LOT of wasted time! Editing patches is a breeze, and there are at least 3 ways that I know of to turn a given effect on or off. There are enough foot pedals to make a live gig very easy to pull off. With 4 presets for each bank, I pretty much stay in one bank for the whole night. I don't know if Roland/Boss has put out a video for this unit like the ones for the VG-8 and the GR-30 (now the VG-88 and GR-33), but I think they should just raise the price by $10 - $15 and include the video. Or they can make a "pro" model with the video and a more comprehensive manual?

I love gain! In Urshurak, the basic style of music we play is 70's influenced Progressive Metal. We are heavily influenced by Rainbow, old Rush, old Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden. We also love Gamma Ray, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Blind Guardian. So, distortion is very important to me. I play a 1979 Strat with Joe Barden pickups, an Ibanez JEM 7DBK, and a George Lynch M1 Tiger ESP as my main guitars. I also play through a Rivera Knucklehead K100 head, Rivera 4x12 cabinet, and a Marshall 2x12 cabinet. So, as you might guess, while I love distortion, I do not like mud! The sound must be articulate! The GT-3 has about a million different flavors of gain! I am truly impressed that I can get a great type of distortion for all 3 of my main guitars, which all require their own settings (especially the Strat; Meal distortion sounds terrible through that guitar). The distortion patches can get pretty noisy, but there is a noise gate that works quite well. Once again, judicious use is required! You will squash your tone if you try to totall kill all the noise. Be real, people! Do you think a REAL 5150 stack maxed out is totally quiet? No, it's noisy as hell. However, the noise is ALWAYS well below the noise floor when you start playing notes. I have NEVER been distracted by background noise at a show and have received rave reviews of my tone. The Flanger can be forced to make a good imitation of a rotory cabinet, an effect not on the GT-3. The only major ommission is the absence of Pitch Shifting or Detuning on the GT-3. I have to use a PS-5 to get those effects. The only time I try to emulate other artists is for the rare cover tune. I have had no problem getting tones from the Beatles, Mick Ronson, Randy Roads, or others. The acoustic guitar simulator is choice! You can get great clean tones using it, though they sound nothing like an actual acoustic guitar. The GT-3 is WAY quieter than my Boss acoustic simulator pedal. I love the virtual mic placement, also. With the right blend and the Limiter, you can get a really bell-like clean tone.

I have NEVER had a piece of Boss or Roland gear fail on me, that wasn't a problem I caused (dead battery, chomped power cord, etc.). I drag the GT-3 from Brooklyn to Ultrasound Rehearsal in Manhattan every week for rehearsal, and at least once a month to gigs. I have no case for it, I just use a duffle bag. The GT-3 weighs as much as a guitar and is very much a musical instrument in its own right. It is solid metal and the expression pedal feels amazing. My unit has been used every day for about 3 months now and it only has the most minor surface scratches. And while I am not careless with my equipment, I am far from overprotective! The local Sam Ash in Brooklyn uses me as a demonstrator for the GT-3 whenever I'm in the store (Chris G @ Sam Ash Brooklyn is the best!!). I have managed to help them sell about 5 units since I bought mine. Every guitar player who I've met that ISN'T using the GT-3 either owns a GT-5 or is not playing out. It's that simple; if you want the best, stick with the Boss. I make sure my amp has a killer gain channel just in case the unthinkable DOES occur one night, but so far I've only used the clean channel on the Rivera at every show.

The only other unit out there that I'm interested in is the Lexicon MPX-G2. That's 5 times the cost of the GT-3 when you add the foot pedal. For a guitar player in an unsigned band, I simply love this thing. I have been playing guitar for 17 years, and this unit can handle anything from country to jazz to metal. If this unit were stolen or lost, I would look into the Lexicon again, and if I could't afford that, I would still get the GT-3. While I wish this unit did have Pitch Shifting and Detuning, that is a minor quibble. For $400 you get a ton of Boss effects in a great package that's reliable, easy to use, and sounds great! In conclusion, if anyone would like to hear my rig in action, you can get a free copy of my band's CD, "The Endless Days of A Stranger" by emailing me at urshurakmusic@aol.com.

This is an update to my last review which is probably the first or second one beneath this one. By now I've gotten into trying to get the sounds of other guitar players for my cover tunes band. I think the GT-3 gets alot of these sounds fairly well, close enough for clubs anyway. There are so many popular bands that have "digital" sounding guitars, I almost wonder if most of them are using simple stompboxes these days. For example, my band is doing "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down, and I had no problem getting this sound, including a separate patch for the acoustic/electric sound. Generally though, it takes alot of fiddling to get the sound you want, but alot of them are in there. Incidentally, I find the Utility button's quick tone adjustment invaluable for instant access of simple EQ: Got cool sound in the bedroom but not at the club? Just adjust the quick bass/treble settings to even it out!

Using a Lonestar Strat through the GT-3 and into a Marshall JTM30, the highest gain settings turn everything into unuseable mush, all the other gain settings are good though, and honestly, I find that the medium gain setting is very sufficient for even thrash metal, when mixed w/ the right overdrive and simulator. I like the noise gate alot, it works well and is another feature in the Utility's quick access button. I think all the effects are cool except the comp/lim and the pedal Wah, which don't sound right.

Rock solid, baby!

Good.

The GT-3 is an overall excellent value in a multi processor. You can get pretty much any sound you want, it seems. The quality of the effects and distortions are among the highest out there for electronics. I feel the only real drawbacks are the inferior Wah, and the sound dropout that occurs when switching patches, which really does aggrivate me. I'm glad I bought it, I'd buy it again, and I'll have it for years to come.