Boss GT-3

I personally found this unit very easy in use for it's complexity. It's also rather flexible and can be used in most possible setups.
The one great thing for me was full Midi-support which allows you to store patches on an external sequencer or PC or to use GT-3 as a
MIDI-Controller for other units. But on the other hand you have to tweak a lot to get a good sound out of this machine. And the manual sucks because it gives you only few usefull infos on how to get started or how to work with Midi-features but doesn't really help you in creating your own patches. So I had to spend some hours to get familiar with all the effect-settings.

I use very cheap guitar with single-coil pick-ups with my GT-3 and go into PWR AMP IN of my PEAVEY Keyboard Combo or into PA-Mixer. I also use fo direct recording on my PC... Well, let's talk about all these effects and presets. Most of the effects like MOD-section, delays, reverb, preamp & speaker are realistic enough and new features like Acoustic Sim. and electric-acoustic effects are usefull. But some of the effects are totally unusefull: Auto-Riff or GUIT-SYNTH, that tracks to slow for example. The Harmonizer should track played tones faster too. I found only one good patch for the Ring Modulator on the WEB - "Sitar"... Clean sounds are awesome especially sounding in stereo. Crunch sounds with light overdrive are O.K too ! But high gain lead sounds are too noisy for my ear and noise suppressor doesn`t help here much. It just kills the sound. Maybe this level of noise is O.K. for live-gigs but for Recording it's too high. I'm still
trying to avoid this problem but it seems not to become better in the nearest future... I'm still looking for patches which implementate typical sounds of several artists (Brian May, Satriani, Vai etc.).
Feel free to contact me if you want to exchange any infos on GT-3 or patches or so !
And here are some interesting web-ressources on GT-3:
User's sites:
http://bossgt3.tripod.com
http://members.xoom.com.bossgt3

Software:
www.kagi.com/amcsoftware/gt3.html
http://members.tripod.com/Gt3Banker

It's very solid metall construction, built like a rock. I didn't think about buying any backup for gigging ! I trust boss to built dependable gear. You must try very very hard to break it.

I haven't to deal with them and I hope I will not too ! But their web-site doesn't offer any support for the unit. It should be better !

I play already for a couple of years in a school-band all styles from blues to metal and GT-3 does it's work when I play live but for Home recording it is a bit too noisy on some patches. But I compared it to other FX-units (ZOOM, DigiTech, KORG...) and for the money it's still a best buy I think. I plan to buy ROCKTRON Prophesy and better guitar to use my GT-3 as MIDI-Footswitch for it. But GT-3 will remain a good tool for clean patches. I really don't know whether I would buy it again if it were stolen.

I picked my GT2 up at 11:00 in the morning and used at a gig that night at6:00 PM.
so many parameters so many tweaks that can be applied it is almost overwhelming most of the editing is easy for those who have worked with digital gear before but there is still more I don't know then I do.The whole thing about the internal pedal system is beyond my grasp.
I use the unit for both my acoustic and electric setups and it is obvious that much tweaking of volume needs to be done to make the GT3 more usable on stage.
The EZ edit is fun when I am just goofing off it is so easy to change parameters on the fly!My favorite is to sit with GT3 in front of me is to build a patch from the ground up find a Pre Amp and go from there sometimes I end up somewhere I never imagined.
When gigging I leave the unit in manual mode I like being able to have control over the individual effects.
Like most manuals it sucks .They give you enough information to get started and there is a nice description of all they effects and there parameters but really I have read parts of it well every time I go to the bathroom!:)and parts are still not clear.

believe it or not I bought this unit as a Pre Amp for my acoustic guitar.I have a Martin2 W/ a Fishmen Goldline+ pickup that I was running direct into a Mackie 1402 mixer a crest audio 900 watt amplifier and either my JBL TR225 Cabs loaded with 2 15s in each cab or EV SX100 for smaller gigs.I was looking at different Pre Amps on the market(and there are a lot).In my acoustic setup I have not had one problem with the sound Quality they the factory Pre sets worked for me that first night I used it and since I have done some tweaking and came up with some great patches(except for some minor feedback problems.....how does that anti feedbacker work anyway?)My electric setup is a Charvell Strat copy with a H-S-S pickup arrangement plugged into old reliable Marshall JCM800 50 watt combo.I don't play much electric anymore but sine I got the GT3 I find myself spending more time ( remember a good effect box can make a crappy guitar player sound good and a good guitar player like shit......JUST PLUG IN AND PLAY FOR GODS SAKE!!!!)I have no use for the special effects included with the GT3 and can see no place I would ever use the ring modulator but I really have not got into the electric end of the GT3 to give a good opinion of it
For the acoustic the 2by2 chorus is great I also use the limiter/compressor,reverb,DDL and have got some really interesting pad effects I use on some instrumental numbers. Sometimes I get weird requests for old rock songs(can you play smoke on the water?)and it cracks me up to switch on some distortion and play that crap on my martin.....heheheheheh....I had to do some tweaking to find a good distortion but it works.Again overall I find for my purposes I find this unit to be very quiet for what I use it for and I have a number of compliments on the way my acoustic sounds on stage.

built like a tank 6 months later I still carry around in the original box and I have only dropped it once!!!!!I average about 15 to 20 gigs a month and since my purchase 6 months ago I have had no problems with it.
I gig all the time with out a backup.

I have not had the need to deal with the company as of yet.There is a lack of info at the Rolandus site about the unit.

acoustic folk rock and I think the GT3 is a perfect match for what I do.I have been playing guitar for 26 years.I have a home recording studio with a track cassette and the computer W/Cakewalk and Sound Forge and the various outboard gear that goes with that.
Yes I would definitely buy another.
I love the basic sound and ease of use with a guitar and the GT3 I can gig anywhere and get my sound.
I hate that I did not have one of these when I was 15 years old(I was gonna be the next guitar god)imagine getting all those great guitar sounds in your headphones and not a peep from the neighbors.
The one that surprised me and got my attention was using the GT3 in the manual mode I like being able to turn the effect blocks on and off it is like having 6 pedals on the floor.it would be nice to have a dedicated switch for the tuner/bypass mode.
I compared to every acoustic Pre Amp product on the market and feature for feature it just gave me more bang for my buck.
The only thing I knew is that I did not want an on board Pre Amp in my martin.I did look into L.R. Baggs,Fishman,BBE and a lot of the tube style pre amps on the market.
I think it very much helped me with my music I love the way my Martin sounds through my system I would gladly compare it with anyone's.
I would very much like to hear from anybody anywhere who is using the GT3 for there main acoustic Pre Amp(or am I the only one?)
For me the GT3 is all I wanted and more thanks for you time

I would not recommened it as your first,but if you had a pedal or two
and been playin awhile GET ONE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!.

the parameters for the e.q,and compressor are alittle weak.the distortion can get alittle metalic sounding,but give it time.between
the pre-amp,e.q.,and different types of distortion you will find the sound your looking for.It has the best chorus,and reverb I've ever come across,the delays are sooooooo sweet.

its never let me down.I use it for home recording.

never needed it.....

I play mostly static x,pantera kinda stuff.playin bass and guitar for about 10years.I think if it was stolen or something i might consider
looking into the new zoom gfx-8(it looks like the gt-3s evil twin)remember pedals are like relationships,it takes a few to get it right.put some time into the gt-3 and it will kick ass!!!!It took me two months to get it just right,(I RECORD WITH IT SO I HAVE TO BE ON THE FUSSY SIDE)dont be fooled by these people who say
they got this pedal nailed in a day or two without reading the instructions,BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!!

Simple to use - I was using it right out of the box without ever playing with one before. Editing came simple enough, and I didn;t have to read on it much. Manual was not as in depth as I would have thought, but I really didn't need it anyways.

Using this with both electric and acoustic/electric guitars.
* Ernie Ball MusicMan "Luke" electric
* Takamine Eg-34 acoustic electric
* Fender acoustic bass
I normally input this into my PC for home recording.
Can get awesome Radiohead effects with this, beautiful leads, and the patches are great for vocals as well

Hasn't been that long since I bought it yet.
I would probably not think about a backup on a gig though. This thing is constructed to withstand a tornado!

I play everything from ambient to punk to metal. Sounds great either way. I have a wide range of other pedals but rarely use them anymore - I use my delay still, as the delay effects on the GT-3 are not as simple as the rest of the board. I would never go back to stomp boxes anymore - I'll tell you that.

I've had this for about six months now, and it has served me well so far. I'm 18 years old and I've been playing for about six years, and I play at about 2-3 gigs a week. I use it live, and there are things I love about it but hate about it also. I play mostly modern rock/pop, some indie. In terms of the ease of use, I gave it a six for numerous reasons. If you want to get a good sound out of it, you're going to have to work your butt off. When I first got it, I spent countless hours modifying patches and getting the sounds how I wanted them, where I wanted them, etc. Editiing patches are pretty self explanitory. The E-Z edit function doesn't give you much to work with, and the sound is pretty mushy and dull. You are always going to have to work with all of the parameters to get the sound you want. The manual can be pretty helpful if you don't know what you're doing. This was the first floor effects processor I've owned, so I had to look in the manual every so often to figure out how to tweak a sound or feature. But for guys who know effect processors and for guys who know what all the different things are, this machine is a breeze. But you still have to put time into it to get the sound you want at first. In terms of performing live, this thing can be a pain. When I'm singing and trying to change a patch (go between banks or step on the or CTL for a delay, phaser, OD, tremolo, etc.), trying to sing into the microphone and look down at your unit can sometimes be a pain.

I run the GT-3 through a line selector (A/B box) directly in to a Fender Deluxe tube amp and a Crate 125-D acoustic amp. I use a Rickenbacker 360 Vintage '64 electric guitar and an acoustic Ovation Legend. I love these guitars! They both sound beautiful. Anyway, the GT-3 sounds terrible in the effects loop or a preamp in to my amps, and that's why I run directly into the amps. The GT-3 is limiting in terms of the "quality" of sound that you want. You can get pretty much ANY sound you want but the QUALITY won't be extrememly good. I've got a lot to work with, and that's good, but to get professional quality sound, this thing doesn't cut it. During gigs, when we want to start to turn up the volume and drive it, the distortion fades out and is really weak sounding! I have reverted to my amps distortion, and that gives me a lot more punch. The GT-3 can give awesome clean sounds to light overdrive sounds (but not any more gain than that) though! I'm really impressed with the JC-120 , VOX, and MATCHLESS preamp processors(the CRUNCH and CLEAN TWIN aren't that bad either). They aren't exact replications, but what do you expect? I have a lot of banks solely devoted to the Matchless. I've found a great sound out of that, and I've built my primary sound out off that preamp. I really had to work at it though. The other amp simulations are pretty weak, in terms of distortion and replicating the sounds they are suppossed to model. I use the EQ on virtually every patch to get rid of the muddy sounds, and it does that for the most part. The OD/Distortion is very weak. The only distortion that can be of any help to me is the vintage and sometimes turbo OD. But again, at very high gains the distortion doesn't give that clear cut "punch" that you need. The auto wah and pedal wah can give me some pretty cool sounds, but I have to tweak it a lot. The compression and limiter are very helpful in tweaking your sound to the way you like it. The acoustic simulator is junk. The slow gear is useful, but very limited in its capabilities. I never use the pickup selectors. I don't think they help as much as hinder. The trememlo and pan are useful and good sounds can come out of them. Phaser is good but I'd much rather get the MXR Phase 90. The flange isn't what I expected it to be, but I still use it sometimes. The sub-eq is really nice for clearing up you sound. I use that on my main clean sounds without other modulation. Oh, one thing that isn't nice is that you can't use more than one type of modulation. Auto-riff is worthless. Reverb is not very useful. I'd much rather have some Lexicon reverbs, but this will have to do for now. The delay is really "digital." Hence, the name digital delay. The delay seems weak and I would much rather have analog delay. But that is my tastes. I still use it though. I can replicate any of the sounds that my favorite aritsts are doing, but only to a certain point. Obviously they don't have a GT-3, so the sound isn't that identical, but the "idea" of the sound is there. Oh, never use the acoustic stuff! I don't have any preamp or acoustic simulators when I play acoustic. I just have the effects. That's why I have the Crate. You get a much more rich sound without those things.

I've never used any back up during a gig! Built like a rock!

I've never dealt with BOSS or Roland. I might have to to get the upgrade for the midi capabilities of the GT-3.

For me right now, this is a good setup. This was my first time with any real effects and I've gotten my feet wet, and I'm ready to get to some better stuff. I want to make my own sound. I'm not into getting the sounds of other artists. I want to go with what I think is good. The GT-3 does that, but only up to a certain extent. I'm probably going to revert to pedals for live stuff, but I'm going to keep this thing for the studio. I love the clean and mild OD stuff, but other than that, I don't use. I've tried out a lot of other floor processors, and I'm almost positive this gives you the best deal for the price. I compared it to Digitech, ZOOM, and others, and this was the sounding one. There are more options on others but sound is what led me to this one. I do really like it though. I just have a good ear for what I what to hear, and I think I know what I need to do to get that sound (good qualtity stompboxes). I always use it live and its served me well. I can make good music with it though! It is not a bad machine. For rhythm guitar its great, for lead it's not so good. But I do love it and I it sees me about three times a day! If you're getting your feet wet, this is a good buy, but if you want professional stuff, don't get this.

Lets just say I didnt even have to the read the manual. I messed with it for a few minutes and i sounded like a pro. Editing the patches was simple, and they sounded great. Real simple, a child could use this.

I use a 60's ReIssue Strat through my boss pedals (MT-2, Ge-7, CE-3) and into my Peavey special 212 (W/ sheffield gold speakers) And now everything sounds better then ever. There isnt any feed back or buzz, even from my strat SC pups. The effects needed some tweaking, however they sound great once you mess with them. I can recreate the sounds of Pantera, Metallica, Megadeth, Death, Coal Chamber, Nirvana and Korn. The auto riff sucks my left and right nut. it sounds like someone took and shit on my guitar and then licked strings. But everything else, with a little werk sounds good.

I havent yet had it more then a day or so. However when i get all my patches in that sun - a - bitch, id say its pretty dependeable. Id never gig without a backup, if i can afford a back up. And thats that

Ive never had a problem with BOSS, even with previous boss pedals, i didnt have any trouble. There built like tanks

I play like s**t. But this "s**t" i do play is good. Metallica, Pantera, Nirvana, Megadeth etc. I can play like all these people with the gt-3. Ive been playing for 1 year, and im not bad. I have 3 boss pedals (see above) and an ovation acoustic. If it were lost or stolen, id kick the s**t outa the guy who f**ked with me. But id steal myself another one since im so po'. I love all the simulations, pickup and amps. I only hate how its, so, so, so, BLUE. (jk) I love it so much im thinking of making love to it right now. It has the sounds quality of a rack mount with the price of just a cheap whore. I wish it had a second expressions pedal, so you can have a wah and a volume simultaneosly. I have never actually "made" music, its more like i crap it out, however it sounds great crapping out of the gt-3. Id like to share my self with cheap whores, like it asks above

I had the Digitech RP-7 before I purchased the GT-3 and I'd have to say the GT-3 took a little longer to master. I don't think I've really mastered it yet still though. I can't seem to figure out how to make the autoriff stay in loop while I chord over a riff. If anybody knows how, please let me know.

I play through a Fender Prosonic and I've been very pleased with the sounds I get. I don't go with what the manual suggested as far as where I plug in at and all that stuff.

I can rely on my GT-3.

I had a question about the GT-3 and the people I talked to were friendly enough.

I play in a modernish rockish type band and the options that I have with GT-3 make things more interesting to me. I like having so many choices. And it sounds good too.

It's actually easier to figure the unit out by rote than it is to consult the manual, although I read it through before firing the unit up for the first time.

I generally like to tweak a few specific parameters in an effects patch, so I really don't use the EZ Edit function. The manual function is very ergonomic, though.

I did take a few points off, however, because I had to spend some time figuring out how to get the compressor to drive the signal strongly enough that the synth will track well.

You simply can't argue with a unit that is basically every Boss pedal ever made, fully programmable. With or without the preamp, the unit is worth the money. At times, I do wish there were a few models of other manufacturers' effects (a Q-Tron, Univibe, TS-808, Mu-Tron III, Rat, etc.) but I can come awfully close to those sounds with some finesse. Besides, Boss pedals are my favorite in general, so I'm pretty happy.

PREAMP: First, make ABSOLUTE SURE that the global settings match your amp setup. Otherwise, the amp simulations might sound metallic. However, with everything set correctly, you should be fine. The gain settings on the amps are only "low," "middle", or "high" which is less flexible than I would like, but the amp sims respond well to volume knob changes, so that isn't a big issue for me. Try playing with the compression and "distortion boxes" (particularly the overdrives and fuzz) to goose some nice rich tones out of this unit.

EFFECTS: They sound much like the pedals. One reviewer complained that there isn't an effects mix setting for some of the effects, but I found that it isn't necessary because this can be adjusted between the depth and resonance parameters.

The unit feels solid. Mine is new, so I haven't run into trouble with bad grounds, etc. but if it works like any Boss pedals that I have used, which I ran from a power supply instead of batteries, I should have no trouble (knock on wood).

I play a very eclectic sort of indie rock, and I like to have a large sound selection. As I said before, the GT-3 is almost every Boss pedal ever made in one box, which nobody can sneeze at. It's versatile enough to hang with any punk, jazz, or blues gigs that I might do as well.

As for a rig, my main guitar is a Telecaster and my main amp is an ancient ca. '70 Sunn Model-T, the version with no hot channel (just normal and bright) along with the Sunn 4x12 with Celestion 75s.

I have used Zoom and ART multi-effects units before this, and definitely recommend this. It sounds like a bunch of Boss stompboxes!

This unit has a lot of functionality and manages it well. Each effect has its own button which can select and then vary its settings. I found that even in the store with no manual, figuring out how to change effect settings and setup presets was easy.

The EQ is a little confusing.

Good quality - chorus, delay, acoustic simulator
OK quality - pickup simulator, wah, compression
Bad quality - distortion/overdrive and preamp simulation

Looks very sturdy, much nicer than the Digitech crap, but didn't own it long enough to really know.

Found the number on one of the spec sheets I got from the store and talked to a tech right away.

The 2 big problems I have with the GT-3 are:

1) some of the effects (flange, tremolo, etc.) don't have an "effect level", but a "level" setting that's just an overall volume setting! What the hell's the point of that? I found this to be totally limited (BTW, the GT-5 didn't even have any level on the flange).

2) I also didn't like any of the distortion or preamp sounds. They were all too weak or too strong no matter how I tweeked the settings. And on the preamp sounds, the "gain" control is just "low, medium, high"! Again, not enough control over the sound for me.

If BOSS could just fix those 2 problems, it would be perfect. I think the coolest thing about the unit are the "control" and "expression" pedal b/c you can program it to do almost anything. It's only $400 which is a good price for an all-around effects processor.

1) Sounds are excellent. 2) IMHO Guitar/amp tones are better defined in terms of timbre and overall character with single coil guitars versus HB. Editing patches is a breeze. I initially read the manual rapidly to ensure that I was getting the best sound setup with my current rig before starting. 3) While at the music store here in Honolulu, Hawaii, I tested the unit through the back stereo input of a JC60. This could have been done through a JC120, which are both excellent sources for testing any floor pedals. Roland's JC series are pretty near to flat EQ when coming in the rear, so you actually get to hear the character of the unit being tested pretty accurately. (Incidentally, I once owned a JC120 and have played live gigs this way runing a Digitech GSP 2101 in the back end and it even fooled the vintage hearted out there!) 4) The maual suggests numeorous configurations, such as front end into head or combo, straight into power amp etc. You set the global paramter (stack versus combo, Bal vs Unbal output, etc.) appropriately. 5) The manual suggests that if running front end into a guitar amp, to turn Treble and Bass to zero, and Midrange to 10 and to run in the LOW chanel on clean NOT Distorted/OD mode. I am currently using dual 5150 heads into dual mesa 4x12 G12-30V Cabs. The manual does not discuss what to do with the Reasonance or Presence, so I experimented and set the Reasonance to zero (it was too woofy otherwise), and the Presence to 6.5->7 and Bright Switch off. The manual also suggests the "Eazy Edit" for the faint hearted, but I opted for the regular edit mode throughout. Patches are a breeze to modify and transfer to the banks of your choice. So once I got the set up where I liked the throughput, I went through all the patches first to become familiar with TONES before I did any patch modifications or assignments. No firmware upgrades -- this is 1st Generation and it is killer!!! very easy to use. I empahise again and recommend you lisetn carefully to ALL the pathces to become familiar with everything this unit has to offer. Find patches you like and modify these first and as you go along you will become proficient rapidly. The Boss programmers set amp EQs pretty well, but I changed most of these except for the Twin patches. The good news is that if you totally screw up a patch, go to the rear of the manual and grab the Factory Patch again and start over. You CANNOT overrwrite these -- Banks 36 on up if I remember correctly -- sorry I am at my office now and not studio -- so I'm working from memory.

To be perfectly honest, this unit is a wet dream come true. I almost sold my entire rig for an Egnater IE4/VHT2150 combination, but you know what? -- I just saved myself $5 grand. This puppy is marvelous and built like a tank. It is so cool that I can take it in a briefcase with a fave guitar or two and plug stereo direct into the PA system. Anyway, I'm pretty much a tube snob and I'm sticking with this setup front ended into my 5150s or Ampeg EL84 combos. The 6L6s have awesome overhead, and now I have the best of all worlds. I programmed this thing in three sweeps. 1) Sweep one (with a Nashville Tele/Maple neck) set patches as follows:

Bank 1 (Blackface Fenders with and w/o analog delay and analog stereo choruses for Tele and Strat EQs); Bank 2 (JC120s), Bank 3 (Vox), Bank 4 (Matchless), Bank 5 (British 1959 SLP), Bank 6 (British BG), Bank 7 (British (1959SLP CH I+II), Bank 7 (Pop Metal), Bank 8 (Soldano), Bank 9 (5150) (Be advised that this tone replicates my 5150 EVH tone exactly -- but is now managing the two monsters without shaking the building foundations wherever I'm playing, Bank 10 (JC120 w pedals front end grunge/fuzz/metal), Bank 11 (Twin with Pedals front end grunge/fuzz/metal), Banks 11-12 (Acoustic Guitars with DeArmond Pickups NOT Electric Guitars), Banks 13-31 (Mixes of the above for Strat EQ with Crunch, Natural OD, Vintage, Turbo OD, and Blues Settings), Banks 32-35 (SFX).

What does this mean? It means that I have the best of both worlds -- live tube natural compression and tone, with amp modeling that blows both Line6 and Digitech out of the water. I'm keeping my GSP 2101 in the SND/RTN loop, so all I have to do is step on the 5150 loop button and voila, I have the high gain channel of the 5150s with my HB equipped LPs/SGs etc., then switch back to Ingle coil giotar(s) by stepping the 5150 loop off, and the GT3 runs direct into the 5150 low gain channels. Pretty clever, huh, fellow arsholes?

BE ADVISED that the Boss programmers who programmed the effects are probably not musicians. The stock EFX in the GT3 are extremely wet an not musical until you turn the rates and depths down on almost every patch, then these are to die for once set to your liking. I read a preview weeks back that the acoustic patches suck. Yes they do -- unless you run an acoustic guitar in the front end. Try that gang. I'm one happy sumbich right now as you can tell, so Kudos Boss/Roland for a job well done otherwise. Every effect is awesome once tweaked properly, but you have to spend the time to tweak to your liking. It took me all weekend. I recommend you get up and take an hour break or two between each sweep so that your ears will come back in fresh. In my case I just left the house, came back and started clean with another guitar. I now have 35 usable Banks of 4 pathces each that I can use live or in the studio wordlwide.

Be advised that I did four sweeps to refine the job with different guitars. Once I placed the pathces where I wanted them in the banks that I had previously I planned out on paper. I repeat -- you lose tone charatcer by using HB guitars up front into the GT3 -- use single coils, and vary these as well to get a good cross section. I used my Tele Nashville for sweep 1, then a Tele with Alnico IIs for sweep 2, then a Tele with Alnico Vs for sweep 3, then Strat with TX Specials (too hot -- lost the "Texas HOT" charatcer), then Strat with Van Zandt Blues (these are better IMHO than Lindy Fralins -- real good!!!) for sweep 4.

I'm keeping my HB equippped guitars for straight into the amp high gain channel with my GSP 2101 Artist Send/RTN in the 5150 EFX loops. Rating 7 because I worked my ars off, but you know what? -- it was the best weekend I've invested into my tone and rig in the past 10 years.

Absolument!, but I'm buying a backup anyway. What the heck, two can fit into a lawyer's briefcase, and they barely weigh nothing. I've never had a Boss pedal fail in 15 years so I think with some degree of certainty that this will be ok too. Disclaimer, I read in the manual that this is computer chip/battery--clock dependent like a regular computer. That means 1) Back up your work via data dump into a seqencer or something, and 2) Find out what type of battery it uses and keep one on standby. THIS IS WHY I'm buying the backup primarily -- for touring.

Never had too. The previous pedals I used were dependable.

This things cranks out all styles -- Great match for my concert rigs and combos -- been playing for > 25 years -- own 12 guitars -- yes I would replace in a NY minute -- it is moron proof, has REAL character, endless possibiliites for quality tone creation, and looks pretty sexy in front of you for your next gig on MTV or Rock Cafe Live -- yes compared it to a myraid of rig/effects combinations -- wish it had dual input for external cc controller like dual FV 50 ( hey, Version II maybe?), and don't like that if running Delay and Chorus simultaneously, cannot turn both on/off simultaneously with the internal togle switch. I actually prefer the external AC "in line" wall wart because such reduces line noise. I think this is what plagued ElectroHarmonix' Analog Delay (internal power supply) -- This is an EXTRAORDINARY piece of musical technology for the proce paid. the best news is that I get to keep my 5150s, and now can produce all the other tones that Eddie left out, and still have the monster to unleash when I'm in Metal mode. Good luck to all.