Boss GT-3

I found this unit to be fairly easy to program. any bona-fide tone freak knows that you don't buy a unit like this for what the factory puts in it! it took a couple of minutes on my own, and with the manual to figure my way around some of the other parameters in the unit. but it ain't that bad overall.

I happen to particularly like the Matchless patches in this unit. I set it side by side with a friends Dr Z Maz 18 Jr. and through tonal comparison, was able to simulate my own Z TONE!!!! I love that about this thing, its just soooooo versatile

does the name sherman mean anything to you???

haven't had to do this yet, but Boss is reliable.

I play blues, rock, and country. I find this unit to give me all the different tones I need to perform confidently.

As far as using processors goes, this is very easy to navigate, and all the handy programmable presets make life soooo easy. I've never used the manual except for the MIDI implementations, but it seems easy to follow. I'd be interested to know if there is a firmware upgrade available..... Oh yeah, the presets are really good.

I have a 200w stereo Valvestate setup, and there is a huge difference between looping the processor or using it in line. The sound quality is great thru a loop, I reccommend it. The effects are just as good as the pedals, and we all know that BOSS makes the best, but I am unhappy with the response on the synth effect, and it's too bad I can't use more than 1 mod effect at once.

BOSS is always dependable, I never worry about my FX failing me, or getting broken from a rough gig. I've had booze dumped all over it, it's been dropped, trampled, and generally abused, and there's barely a scratch in the paint!!!!

Sorry, never needed support...

I play death metal, and do electronic noise as well, so I am definitely pleased with the diversity of this unit. I'd replace it in a second if it were stolen. This is my second BOSS processor, and millionth FX unit in general, and I'd say this is definitely the best bang for the buck. I did try out other units before deciding on this one.

I bought this pedal after hearing the GT-5 and being told there was little difference between them.
I found it to be a little overprocessed harmonically with my RG470, though I have fallen in love with the neck pickup sounds. It hates the middle single coil for some reason and the bridge humbucker sounds brittle for cleans sounds.
I tried it with a cheap Strat and was frankly amazed at how good some of the cleaner presets were with the single coils - but the distortion was in need of a little pepping up.
Editing patches is easy unless you are really after a specific sound. Many people have said it to be easy but it does require A LOT of time to get a good set of presets. I don't get to use it with my full rig (the tonality changes drastically depending on what you use it on) until I gig. So therefore I can tell you that it is no fun editing 5 mins before you play.
The manual is good if you are familiar with the workings of FX but if you simply like to twiddle a few dials until you find a nice sound (like me) then it is a bit on the barren side when it comes to offering tips on use.
I don't believe there has been any mods to the firmware as the unit has not been revised in any way (I bought it in Oct 99).
I have given 8 because I managed to clean away all my analogues pedals with no real remorse.

I use this with a RG470, a cheap squire strat, a Marshall Valvestate Pro 120/120 Power Amp (blinding!) and two 1936 Marshall 2 x 12" Sealed Cabinets.
It can be noisy but more often than not that has been because of a poor earth on the guitar. Once solved the pedal is quiet. It does tend to sound over processed if you apply the FX in a heavy handed manner. Other than that I cannot moan as it has done me proud.
I have reservations with using this in conjunction with a valve amp base on my old Marshall 50watt Valve Combo. Every thing was too trebly and when I got my new rig all my user patches were bassy as a result of the mods I had made.
Now I am using it with the VS Pro it is more subtle and I can get the sounds that I want.
Some of the settings are weak - wah needs serious tweaking (the hard wah preset is the best but lacks cut in a live scenario and the Flanger is a bit too modulated for my liking (not that I use it!).
As the unit works fine for my rig I will give it a 9

Yes I depend upon the GT-3 as it also handles my amp simulations on top of the sound fx and I do gig without a backup.
I do have one minor grievence though, and that is because it has a poorly lit display for heavily lit stages and daytime festival gigs - hence 9

Not yet but the seperate PSU remains a worry.

I play in an eight piece Soul Tribute Showband and I can do Steve Cropper with ease with this unit.
As for loss or theft of this unit then I would replace it with another or maybe even the Flagship model, the GT-5 as I have had much pleasure in its use.
I have to say that the subtlety of some of the sounds make this a joy to use but a stronger wah and flanger would have been nice. Also the synth fx are really bad!
I tried some other fx units dod, zoom and digitech - but they had delays/dropout in switching between patches and that really sounds bad live.
I am very happy to have purchased it. It is a genuine tool and it embellishes the sound of your playing - what more could you ask for?
My only reservation would be to try it on your rig first, unless of course you have a Roland Jazz Chorus. heh heh.

I've only had this unit for about a week. Replacing a Digitech RP-3.

* Fairly uncomplicated. Guitarists that are new to multi-efx units may take some time to warm up to it. Logical layout and design make this unit pretty user friendly.
* Editing patches: fairly quick, but can become time consuming - depending on how particular or fussy you are.
* Manual: not bad - not great.

* I'm using a Gibson Les Paul standard stereo into a Peavy Bandit (80W) and Fender Frontline 25 (25W). I need better amps.
* Some of the pre-amp settings get a little noisy, but the noise suppressor is good. I've also tried a Strat with this pedal, and single coils get very noisy.
* Pre-amp efx are good, very deep eq. (great for tweaking that exact sound - if you have the time), great reverb, nice delay, overdrive and distortion takes time to get right - however using the eq (especially tweaking mids) and pre-amp settings it is possible to get great overdriven sounds. Wah sucks, wacky effecys (synth, humisor etc) are great for what they are. Compressing is tight and tasty, phaser is great.
* I owned a digitech rp-3 and the sound was a little too "digital" and processed for my liking - this unit is more authentic sounding, and one of the best for its price and size!!!

* Rugged metal body and sturdy design. Should handle gigs and travelling well. I think i will get an external expression pedal though to save the one on the unit (lets face it - anything with moving parts will need some attention after a while - it'll be easier to replace a seperate unit than the pedal on the board).
* No backup necesarry.

* n/a

* I play new school funk / dub / ska. Some heavy stuff occasionally.
* Playing for 10 years.
* This is a great compact unit .... it's has quality features for its price and size. Beats the crap out of my old digitech RP-3. At the end of the day you get what you pay for. Buy a pro rack mount unit with foot controller if you can afford it, and you'll probably have better tone. But this is one of the best multi-efx units in its class.
* It is possible to get anally retentive when it comes to tweaking your tone. Try to avoid this cause the unit is there to enhance you tone and sound, not to dominate it.
* If you aren't into booz rock or tired blues, and are looking to create some fresh and original guitar music then this pedal could be a great accessory.
* Boss have been around for a long time, and know the biz. This unit has been carefully designed with the guitarists needs in mind. Worth a try, no one is going to force you to buy it OK??

Dont ever settle for presets (you all know that). I figured the GT-3 out in 5 minutes. The manual is nice and helpful but seriously I didn't even look at it till after I had my own patches down. EASY EASY EASY

ESP MH-307 7 String guitar ---> GT-3 ---> DBX 15 band Equalizer/Limiter(to further cut mids) ---> Fender Roc Pro 1000 Full Stack! Awesome METAL SOUND!

Never will I drop it, leave it in the sun, let "some dude" borrow it, or anything stupid. This thing is basically as important to me as my actual guitar hands. IF ANYTHING ever happened to it, I would have to BUY another one because NO other pedal gets me my tone EXCEPT this pedal board.

Never Had to deal with them. Hopefully never have to.

I play Black Metal. But I'm not just looking for high mids, or a Shitty Slayer sound(more high mids)...but an awesome cuffing that is pleasing to the ear and shakes your Balls! at the same time. I needed the PERFECT Frequencies and Cuts and between the Equalizer and SUB EQ, and my other 15 Band EQ, I own My tone...I have the exact tone of my dreams and now I can sleep comfortably at night!

At last, a processor to call my own!!! Oh joy!!. The GT3 looks intimidating to program at first, I am learning so much about it now,
i can copy, save, write, tweak, twinge, destroy and rebuild things so easily on this. Only the one dial and the parameter jump buttons are needed to transport you through all the endless possibilities available. The manual actually wasn't to hard to understand, although some parts were understated and obvious, almost to the extent of patronising the user, i.e " Treble: adjusts the treble frequency ", never mind, because this thing is the best, infact, I want to marry it. It is though the perfect mistress for my guitar. Patches are easy to edit, but ironically the EZ edit is rather hard for me to properly understand.

I only have an old Encore Custom Model guitar (superstrat shape) and a Fender Squier 15 watt practise amp, yet this thing sounds amazing through it. I hope to purchase a brand new guitar and a more powerful amp to accompany this unit. The presets are not bad, some are laughable, the best though is 84,3 E.Ac Detune, I have wrote a song part with that effect. Distortions are good, some crap through the preamp models, i only realised this when I tried using a heavy distortion through the Metal Drive preamp before realising the Metal Drive distortion was on high gain settings. I am nearly there in getting the perfect noisecore/death metal distortion, the problem is allieviating the sub bass characteristics despite tweaking the bass e.q and bass settings, the scooped mid sound is no problem in achieving, the bass needs controlling in order to get good palm muting sounds. The distortion is crucial in any style really and therefore needs plenty of attention, here though the GT3 has succeeded in creating accurate distortions for different styles. The chorus, delay and reverb are just ace. Flanger is so damn good alot of the time, i can't see how some people have rated it badly, i have tweaked it to get sounds similar to that of the BF2 and the EH Elec. Mistress. Phaser is class say no more, infact all modulation effects are brilliant, i do have trouble harnessing the character of the Ring modulator. SFX group has good sounds available, I use the Feedbacker a fair bit. Finally E.q and SpeakerSim facilities are really good too. I can get alot of sounds similar to many artists, in particular Robert Smith's ambient sounds and also bands like, Led Zep, Pantera and Slayer, yes Slayer, bet you didn't see that one coming did you. You can get that blood and fire that spews from the Slayer axe maestros's guitars, spend a few hundred hours editing away.
LOVE THIS UNIT

I can't afford a backup, i'm too careful as it is that i won't let anyone breathe near it, let alone touch it, it is very strong and is built like a titanium fist. I won't bother with a backup, i look forward to gigging with it, first things first though is to...ahem..get a band together.

Never dealt with Boss or Roland but the company i bought this from, The Flying Pig, jacked up the price to 295 pounds when it was originally 269. I went all the way there to collect it for myself and lug it back through London and get the train back to Cambridge. You can imagine the look on my face changing from a happy boy to a slack jawed dog when I merrily skipped into the store with my hard earned 270 punds in cash to be told the price had gone up, still one cheque for the rest allowed me to take the GT3 home with me happier than a pig in shit

I play very heavy music of my own creation (not Korn!!!) and other styled like blues and ambient and whatever else i can wring out of my guitar. I've been playing just over two years now and will continue to do so as long as I live. This unit is so amazing it allows me to be creative in even more ways than ever. If this was stolen, the thief had better hope I never catch him and that he lives in fear when I have ripped his balls off and beaten him round the head with the unit, you see this thing is even more amazing because it doubles up as a weapon. I have used a Zoom 505 and a 3030 before but they are not a patch..ahem... on this. BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT!!!!. You Korn and Limp Bizkit fans will shit yourself when you find out it's potential. This is an amazing unit for bringing out the emotion, texture and mood in your music and playing, though rememeber it is better not rely on this thing even though you can almost get every sound possible you can imagine.

This is my first effects unit.I found it easy to work and I can't even hook up a tv and video.The manual wasn't much help but once you get moving you don't really need it anyway.One bad thing people say, is you can't really edit things "on the fly"(like live on stage?).But if you knew what you were doing then you would have set it up with all the sounds you need before you got on stage.In a rehersal situation, if someone said you're sound had "too much treble",then it could be fixed in a matter of seconds if you knew your way around the unit.As with most things, the more time you spend with it, the easier it is to use. I've been using it for about six months now and I wouldn't dare say I know the ins and outs of it. The limitations are endless. I you own one then there's a good chance you will never have to buy another pedal to get "that sound".

I'm play my guitars, straight to the GT3 and into my Marshall Valvestate. After reading some of the reviews here, it seems as though most people complain of the distortion sounds. I've found that the best sounds come from the pre-amp simulations rather than the overdrives and combining an EQ can give great flexibility to the sound. You can get the sound you want from the GT3 but you have to make it yourself, its not going to appear as a preset for your convenience. When playing through headphones it definatly sounds different but try backing off the master by about 20 and make sure the unit is set for "line headphones". It will sound a bit better but avoid any editting coz it won't sound the same through the amp.

I've used it live and never had any worries. I did own 4 Boss pedals before I got the GT3 and over the years never had any problems with them so I was confident in the Boss name. However, the reverb did cease to be, but it was fixed and its been fine ever since. If your thinking of getting one, have a read of the other reveiws here. Most are trouble free so I wouldn't pay too much attention to the little glitch I had with mine. Ever known someone with a Boss pedal who had problems with it? I don't. There're bomb proof and its not going to break, it made out of steel.

Now when the reverb dropped out it was repaired by an agent for Roland/Boss company and they took their sweet time doing it too. About three weeks although somehow I get the feeling that had it needed to go to Roland/Boss it may have took longer.

Too many people get carried away when it comes to effects. All you really need is a good clean sound, a distortion sound and a boost for both for soloing. I set my GT3 up in this way;

Bank 1 Patch 1: Clean (boost for solo when CTL is on)

Bank 1 Patch 2: Distortion (boost for solo when CTL is on)

Setting up like this (using the CTL) can also be used like this;

Bank 1 Patch 3: Clean (Distortion when CTL is on)

This lets you keep the number of patches down and saves time on stage. I keep all my sounds within the first 10 banks and there's enough variation there to cover just about all styles. All in all, outstanding value for money and heaps of versitility. When you go on holidays, just take the GT3, guitar and headphones. Its easier than taking an amp! This is the first time that I would say I'd buy it again if something happened to it because once you set it up, it makes life real simple.

If you have never used effects before this can compleately overwhelm you. Its extreamly easy to start using the preset patches and to do basic changes to effect parameters. But the GT3 can do so much that its going to take you a while to figure out everything that it does and does not do. Its going to take a lot of practice, its almost like learning a new instrument, but learn it and its time very well spent!! The manual is very high level and needs to be re-written in greater detail(especially on using control assaigns and the internal and the wave pedals). I strongly advice learning how each effect works (the tech side) and applying that knowledge to put the GT3 to best use. It is an awesome piece of equipment.

I play a Standard Fender Stratocaster thru a fender amp and always loved a natural overdriven amp sound. The Strat with its single coils always creats a noise especially when using the bridge pick up. The GT3's noise suppressor is great in dealing with this. Whenever I play hard, I try not crank the pre-amp and the distortion up at the same time....thats going to create a lot of noise. Instead if I adjust the pre amp to not create distortion and using the OD/DS in the GT3 I am able to get really cool / hard / noise free sounds.

You can almost get every kind of sound through this puppy, if you are willing to tweak the effect parameters. The presets are BAD and the preset patches seems like they have been created to amuse a 5 year old...way too many gimmics. Dont buy this for the presets!! The harmonist, chorus, delay and reverb along the pre-amps are the stars of this unit. Distortion is great too, but takes time to make it sound like you want it. Overall sound quality is stellar!!

I have not used it long enough to give my opinion on this. I have had it only for a month. But looks mighty sturdy.

Not had any problems yet.

I think this is the most versatile multi-effect processor you will ever find at this price. It should meet the needs of almost every guitar player, regardless of style. Best of all sound quality has not been compromised to achieve this versatality. I play real hard blues to hard rock to Indian classical music and this great for all of them.

There are some features in this unit that are too complicated to use and I think BOSS should get rid of them....like the auto riff. The control assigns also need to be made a little easier to use, given its tremendous potential. Also I think there should be manual setting for each patch, now the settings change on all the patches each time you alter the manual assigns in one patch. Thats a big pain in the rear. But I dont mind tweaking the control before I start playing a song thats going to need a lot manual effect changes. Overall great product...but takes time to learn. ITS WELL WORTH IT!!

This unit is a breeze to operate and boy does it operate, but when you want to edit some patches you can get pretty in depth. You can tweek any effect and use it in endless combinations. The GT-3 comes with a quick set-up guide to keep you from shitting your pants because this thing is incredible. The manual explains the important detail of every effect and the parameters this unit is capable of.

The sounds that come out of this little beast are the best ever. Take your RP-2000 and use it as POOPER SCOOPER this thing has it beat by 2000 miles. The RP has some great distortions out of the box, so thier is little tweaking, but other than distortions it has nothing to offer. OHH YEAHHH BABY I love that Aliens patch. OHHH Yeahh I love that Limpy Distortion. Give me a Fu*@ing break, in ten years nobody will know who LIMP BISKUT was. The GT-3 on the other hand puts you in another dimension, and you can create any world you want. I am currently using a Fernandes Native Elite with an old 70's Kustom stack, and this thing kicks some royal with cheese ass. Some of the distortions are digital sounding, but at first I didnt set my amp the way the manual tells you. After I tweeked it the amp and turned the GT-3 to "Guitar Stack" it was all over. The acoustic simulator is the best ever, the Harmonizer is top notch, the synth patches are monophonic but when placed with effects they are unreal. The cleans are rightous thanks to old Roland, the best clean sounds in the business, the wah is a wah I dont know why people are so critical about the wah, if you dont like the one in the box hook one up its simple, I have a Hendrix wah and it has to much treble for my taste. The distortions are rightous when tweaked with the different amp models and attacks, the flanger is good but needs tweaking, chourus is the best thanks to Roland... All in All this is the best processor on the market for the money.

Its buit like grannys panties, nothing coming out of this bitch.

Boss products have been around for years, I dont think Ill have any problems.

Please do me a favor, sell all those old stomp boxes and go out and buy this timeless machine. This has to be the best processor for the money. It takes seconds to set up, minutes to tweak, and the sound is so unreal, that digitech has to go back to school. I can not wait to hear the follow up to these boxes, technology has come so far in the last 6 years that the GT-5 is old news. With this box I have been playing old songs I havent played in years. This is definatley a quality product and it can only get better when the third generation effects processor comes out. I would definatley buy another if this one broke down. Next I want to buy the GR-33 and open up the pallete of sounds with the two combined. This box definatley opens the door to creativity, so dont get frustrated if it doent sound like Korn out of the box, or Limpy, or Steve WHY? get in their and create your own sounds and be original for once and stop trying to copy something that has been done.

Because of the number of different effects and paramaters, the GT-3 can be a bit complicated to use. Fortunately, I know alot about guitar effects, so I'm managing. Someone not familiar with a wide variety of effects might have a hard time programming the unit. The manual isn't too bad, but could have been more user friendly. Anyone willing to spend some time on the technical aspects of effects will not only learn alot, but will be able to come up with some great sounds.

I use a Parker Nitefly and an Ibanez S Series Custom through an Ampeg Reverberocket 2x12. The unit makes little or no noise. I still have much experimenting to do with the unit, but I can't imagine any guitar sound that can't be found with the GT-3. It can be programmed for different pickup sounds, simulated amp sounds, and even simulated microphone placement. The unit include pretty much every guitar effect known to mankind. The unit can get sounds of everyone from Joe Pass to Joe Satriani to Dimebag Darrell.

I only recently purchased the unit, so can't really comment on reliability. The unit is solid metal construction, and seems to be quite well made. I'd recommend getting a padded carrying case of some kind. A good hit in the wrong spot while transporting could be a bad thing.

Haven't had to deal with the company.

I play every style from light jazz to pop to blues to hardcore heavy metal in different groups and places. I've been playing for 15 years, and graduated GIT with honors. I was using an ME 30 for awhile, and upgraded to the GT-3. If it was stolen, I'd definitely buy another one. It certainly takes some time and effort to learn to program, but once that time is put in, the unit is well worth every minute spent. The sounds are incredible, and it's versatile enough to be used with pretty much any style of music. I won't list the effects here, but you can check out the list at zzounds.com or Musiciansfriend.com, or any site that sells the unit. There's even an unofficial user's site at www.members.tripod.com/bossgt3/ with all kinds of info on the unit. For the $$$, I really think that the GT-3 is the best thing out there.