Boss GT-3

Well...it surely takes a little long to learn how to use this unit...but in the end...it`s all about the usual settings and knobs that all pedals have...I mean, you have to know what depth does to yuor chorus if you turn in loud...so don`t worry...you`ll learn after a pair of hours..!

I use this unit with a custom made strat and a peavey bandit 112...the unit it`s not so silent as expected...and I`ve heard that some people have ahd problems with Marshalls JCM-900...I think I could get some very interesting famous sounds but I`m not able to do it so I like to edit my own sounds that is really better!
I really love the delay and the wha wha (works fine),and some pre amp are rellay good (the twin is perfect and has got better my amp`s clean sounds)...synth is great and chorus too...the EQ is really full of options so you can get what you want from the machine...Distorsion are great...and you can always use an external distorsion (I have a Marshall Guv`nor) if you get bored with it...so I really it`s an amazing machine!

I use it more often than I should...!Sometimes I plug it off just for not forget how I love to play with my amp but...I can assure you taht you would bring your sounds everywhere on every different amps you`ll be using...that means a lot....I Use my amp for back up but i know I`ll never have to do it...

never dealed with boss...I hope they have nice girls working in their calling centers...

I play lot of styles, most rock but rock for me means a lot of things...well, anyway....THE DISTORSION IS LOUD!!! I LOVE IT!i have been playing from 10 years now and I`ve been dealing with lots of pedalboards and this rules...I think you should not mind about the gt-6 because both sound really similar so...BUY THE GT-3!
Anything else you'd like to share?Yes....I love it more than my mother!!!!

Anybody who is patient and and has a reasonable IQ can use this thing.

I play through a fender amp and a Usa strat with an emg 81 and 85.
I play bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Alice Chains, Led Zeppelin...
With the proper tweaking on the distortion and the EQ u can get the metal sound of the gods. I have played through Mesa's and this thing has better distortion in my opinion. Mesa's got to muddy b4 it could catch up. The Jc-120 clean on this is incredible. You can get the same sound as in "Nothing Else Matters," or "Rooster." All u need to do is put ur amp on clean and leave the rest of the effects to this thing.

I'll die b4 this thing does.

Don't know, haven't had to call em.

I've played a lot of em. From Digitechs to PODs to Zooms.
Boss is far ahead of all of em. The price is incredible.
The only other effect i would get to add on to this is a
wah wah pedal. I suggest CryBabys. I would desparately search for another Gt-3 if mine got stolen.

Id like to add a thought,

EVEN THOUGH METALLICA SOLD OUT, IT DOESNT REALLY MATTER.
THEY STILL HAVE THE GREATEST METAL ALBUM OF ALL TIME
"MASTER OF PUPPETS." AND NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM THEM.

I think is very easy to use. But you really have to know about it if wanna get some specific sounds, but is like everything else.
EZ EDIT useful in critic times. Gets a little complicated with the pedal assign.

Ihave a Sammick Les Paul Model and a handmadee tubeamp (very good). Soime xtra noise in distortions but not to worry about. Delay Chorus rocks. Synth also rocks ... youcan get really funny sounds.. . Tryieng to get al the time.. Chan Kinchlas sound (from blues traveler) and also Jerry Garcia but I think that is imposible...

Very solid. But don't let it fall into your feet. Hurts.

Never tried.

I bought it in Argentina , ,tahs why it cost me that much. I will definitly keep this... maybe buy gt6 but this will be in bag all the time.
GT3 ROCKS!

Acho este pedal muito facil e pratico de mexer

Eu toco com uma guitarra washburn MG94 e um AMP replica do Twin Reverb 65 cray baby, boss bd-2, boss ds-2, marshall jh-1 boss dd-3 e um boss GT-3. A gt-3 ,alguns dos pedais ,tem os sons muito legais , o reverb, delay e o chorus, s?o meus preferidos, as distorcoes s?o boas, mas parece que os pedaisinhos separados soam melhor.

OK

Deveria ter manual e software para operar via MIDI, disponivel no Site da Boss.

It looks like a pedalboard and programs like a rack unit; no wonder it drives people crazy! After years of tweaking both pedals and rack gear, I got a GT-3, trying to reduce my rig to what Robert Fripp might call a "small mobile intelligent unit." The GT-3 allowed me to dial up anything from simple OD/DLY/CHO chains to really deep, weird Synth, Harmonist and Ring Mod sounds. The Manual isn't entirely useless, but like many Roland/Boss manuals, I kind of wonder where the rest of the instructions went. The programming mostly worked for me, but I can understand why a lot of people aren't thrilled with it.

I use mahogany plank guitars, with humbucking pickups, so I don't worry about hiss and noise from my guitars. When I use an amp, I use a Roland JC-90, which I find to be quieter than a JC-120, especially in small rooms. When I know there's a decent P.A. available, I just bring the GT-3 and a few Delay/Loopers.

The GT-3's effects are pretty good, but there are some problem areas. The Compressor is noisy; on most of the factory presets, I found that I could drastically reduce the noise levels just by turning off the Compressor. I'm not sure what the Acoustic Guitar Simulator and the Pickup Simulator really do to your signal, but I wasn't impressed with either one. The Slow Gear is counter-intuitive; you have to turn the Sens way up (above 75) to hear any effect at all. The old Slow Gear pedal didn't work that way. I find that I use the Clean Twin Pre-Amp model more than any of the others, and I really hate some of the Pre-amp models. The OD/Dist. is just okay; I use it, but I can't get a good Fuzz sound out of it. I agree with the folks who weren't excited about the Pedal Wah sounds; the Auto-Wah is even more disappointing. If you want that fat, chewy Jerry Garcia sound, keep looking. For Pedal Wah, you may want to use an EV-5 Expression Pedal, instead of the GT-3's pedal; the EV-5 feels a little more like a Wah, while the GT-3's pedal is a little stiff. The EQ is a weird sort of semi-parametric, with fixed Low and High bands that you can either boost or cut; of course, the Manual doesn't tell you what the Low or High EQ bands are, so you'll have to guess what frequency you're boosting or cutting. The Sub-EQ is identical to the main EQ, and a waste of processor space. On the plus side, the Harmonist effect works much better than the pedal of the same name, the Slicer does some cool things (slow it down and you'll hear some nice "Who's Next" kind of sounds), and the Auto-Riff has hidden powers that the Manual barely touches on. With Auto-Riff, you can set each note of the 12-tone scale to generate its own arpeggio. Think about that for a second . . . you play one note and it triggers a blues riff, another note triggers a weird up-and-down scale pattern. There are 10 User Presets, so in theory, you could program 120 different Auto-Riffs into your GT-3. Insane. I've had a lot of fun with the Guitar Synth effect, but I also enjoy a challenge; most players will fool with it for a while and decide that it sucks. The Humanizer is one of those things you'll either love, or never use. The Ring Modulator is great, I had no problem cloning the throaty metallic tones of my EH Frequency Analyzer with it, although I can't quite make friends with the Intelligent Ring Modulator; some things are meant to be anarchy boxes.

The basic food groups are well represented, and someone finally took the Chorus effect out of the Mod block, so you can have Chorus and Pitch Shift and Delay. Nice touch. I was able to clone a number of old analog Flangers with the GT-3, but I can't quite get the sound of an old MXR Phase 90; otherwise the Phaser sounds are a lot of fun. I don't know why 1825 mS is the maximum Delay Time, or why I had to combine Tapped Delay with Stereo Pitch Shifting to actually hear stereo separation in the Delay Taps? There's no Reverse Delay, and no Hold, either. The Reverbs are somewhat better than stompbox quality, but if you're used to a nice clean Lexicon or T.C. Electronics reverb, the GT-3 won't cut it for you. The lack of Gated or Reverse Reverbs is annoying. The Noise Supressor isn't as intrusive as most Noise Gates, and I have it on in all but my most primitive sounding patches.

I'd been using my GT-3 for just over a year, when an odd software glitch popped up in the Manual Mode. Basically, all my patches now have the same Manual set-up, and if I change a patch, ALL the other patches reflect that change; yes, I've checked the Utility menu, and made sure Assign Hold is off. I've never had a piece of Boss/Roland gear go bad on me before, so I'm kind of surprised. Since the GT-3 is my main live rig, and the back-up for all the junk I used to haul around, I'm not going to be very happy if my GT-3 can't be fixed. Of course, this problem turned up over the Fourth of July holiday, so I can't get in touch with anyone from Roland.

I play loud, weird stuff, King Crimson-collides-with-Mission of Burma, filtered through a bit of Tuxedomoon. Until the software glitch, the GT-3 was a good match for what I wanted, offering me lots of sounds, and a fair amount of real-time control. The Manual Mode was critical to my sound, allowing me to set up each patch as a sort of virtual pedalboard, with On/Off switches for each effect; now, it doesn't work at all.

If my GT-3 dies, gets lost or stolen, I'm not sure what I'd get to replace it. Boss has pulled both the GT-3 and the GT-5, and the GT-6 just doesn't call to me, for some reason. If my GT-3 can be fixed, or at least persuaded to behave, I'd probably get a GT-5 as a backup, and them both; I like the idea of the External Loop on the GT-5. You can only use the Ext. Loop on the GT-3 if you give up OD/Dist.

Not easy to use at first, but nothing worthwhile is ever easy. If you take some time to learn about midi and gainstaging your unit and amp, it's a great unit. If you don't want deal with studio level parameters, don't get it. This is a pro unit at a beginners price.

Took time to get, but yes, its great. Start with a blank slate, distortions off and the the (line headphones) on in the utility section. Make sure your output on the back is at about 75 percent. You should hear roughly the same volume level as with the amp alone.
Fine. Choose a workable distortion, (the vintage is great) and tweak one setting at a time. Don't keep cranking up overall gain levels. Make sure you're still at unity by checking every once in a while. Even some of the time-based effects have levels that increase overall output, so be careful. Add delays and verbs to taste. Also you'll never be able to make tone judgements with million effects turned on. If you're using a million effects, then the point of tone is mute anyway. At this point you just want craziness. Very quiet overall if gainstaged correctly.

It's a brick.

Never had to.

Great. Country and tasty AAA rock. Finally got it to where I love it, but only after I learned about midi and subcontrollers, etc. I've bought two extension FS5U subcontrollers and I'm in heaven. At one time, (with BPM tappping) I'm tapping in the parameters for three effects at once (delay, tremolo speed and phaser speed). Even if one or more of those effects is not engaged at the time I'm tapping. Amazing. Try this with a pedal. I've got the patches set up basically as custom pedalboards using the CTL pedal to switch me to manual. Now i've basically got a pedalboard with all my pedals swithable to on or off. Great feature. Don't believe anyone that says this ain't a killer unit. Best ever for the money. But it's been a long time coming because I didn't have studio level knowledge of parameters. Now I do, and now I'm happy. If you're new to all of this, don't buy until you've accepted the fact that you're going to get frustrated and have to learn lots of new things. Even if it means bugging that guy to death at the music store. Primo unit, this Boss is.

It's one of the few in its priceclass with really big editing possibilities. But this has also a downside; it needs digging thru lots of menu's, which could turn the "knob-turners" down.
I have the unit for 5 years now, and only now I'm getting decent sounds. Ofcourse you could blame it on me, but I think the GT-3 is very picky about the context he's used in.

Setup: Ibanez S540 FM TTS --> GT-3 --> Input of either Roland 405 (practice amp) or Peavey Bandit 112 (stage amp).
In the beginning I had a lot of critique that my sounds were too harsh. I mellowed a lot of my patches down (some had 4kHz +20dB !!!) but still my setup is on the harsh side.
It isn't noisy, I use the Noise Gate mostly with treshhold around 40-60 and release 10-20. Only if I'm after real vintage sounds, I use the noise gate sparingly or not at all.

I made some real good AC/DC, Deep Purple and Maiden-patches. Metallica (Master of Puppets) doesn't work out for me with this unit. I've had better results with someone else's POD for high-gain sounds.
The effects are very good, especially the chorus and delay. I don't like the Wah, its range is too limited (I have an original Vox wah to compare it with so...), in its priceclass the Harmonizer is very decent too. Ofcourse, it never beats recording twinsolo's with 2 or 3 guitars, but for a quick idea...

NOTE: My biggest quibble with the sound of the pre-amps is: when you use a mid-gain to high-gain solo sound, and you play higher than the 12th fret on the higher strings, and you bend, than you'll hear a certain digital noise. It sounds like tuning an old FM-radio. The POD doesn't have this, probably due to better AD/DA converters.
It's only noticable when the PREAMP-SIM is on. When just using the OD/DS it's not there.

another big note: This unit seems to work best with SS-amps. Especially in conjunction with a Roland JC-120 I can get REAL FAT PUNCH AND GREAT TONE. Tube amps make it sound muddy.

Very reliable. But recently it stalled during a gig (after 5 years of heavy road use). Turned out to be a faulty crystal. Don't ask me what it does. Anyway, the GT-3 has fallen out of my hands on different occasions and it kept going. It's a pretty thick steel chassis.

See "Reliability": Roland repaired the faulty chrystal for free! I like that.

I play hardrock/thrash/speed/heavy metal mostly. But since a year or 2 I'm playing with a funk/soul-cover band. Some of the clean sounds of the GT-3 are really good for that. I've been playing for 10 years now, and before this one I have owned a Zoom 3000S and a Zoom 2020. The one thing I liked about those Zooms, is that it had a bypassfunction under every patch-button. Press once to activate patch, press twicee to bypass it.
My GT-3 actually got lost once (I left it in the train, and forgot it because I was in a hurry), and after 3 weeks I bought a new one, and the day after the railroad company returned my old one. So, luckilly I could return the new GT-3 to the store and get a full refund (since it only was in my possession for 2 days).
What I love:
After 5 years I'm getting good tones from it, especially usefull for direct recording (remember to set it to Line (Headphone Out) )
Its effects are very editable and of a higher class than its competitors.
What I hate:
-The afore mentioned digital noise
-The bad impact it has on playing dynamics and response. I wouldn't want to use it in front of a decent tube amp.

I'm currently thinking of adding a Digitech Genesis (1 or 3) for direct recording only. I'll be using the GT-3 for live use. Next year, I'm gonna buy a good tube amp (ENGL Savage Spec. Edt.), and the GT-3 will then probably be connected thru its FX-loop.

Oh, an important advice: be careful with high-gain sounds. Although they might sound great in your bedroom when practicing, on stage they can muddy things up.

Sure most of people find it difficult to use it, but most of people don't know how to get a good sound with a two knob box...
If you have already use a lot of stomp box, and you know how to define their character, then you're able to work with the gt3. Good material aren't allways plug & play.
Once you have ajust your own patches, it's very pleasant to change your sound by pressing one patch button. I like because, it's not so easy to turn on 3 pedals at the same time in gig when you have 9 stomp boxes like me, and if these 3 boxes aren't nearly together!!!!

Once you know to use it, it can sound very versatile and great.
I used to play with all-tube amps and analog stomp boxes, and there's one thing we can say: IT WILL NEVER SOUND LIKE THEM!!! but I knew that when I bought it. The amp simalutions don't sound like the originals, but they can do good very distortions(the best I've heard on multi-fx), they're not so cold and fizzy like those shitty zoom...
I play hardcore/brutalcore/grindcore; the GT3 was what I missed!
I use it on custom tube head sovtek with a 4.12" cabinet, and it's powerful: the clean is so compressed with the valves and give warmth to the GT3 but the sound turns to agressive and tight when I put it on
distortion (I never set the gain to the highest value, because I used valve distortion before). But I have a solid state head too, and I can say that the GT3 sounds well on every amp...
The other FX are very clean, because of the "digital", so they can sound "cold" for someone, but these fx does only their purpose and don't add some extra coloration provided by a cheap circuit, which it is not the case for all stomp boxes.
There's something else I like: you can change the "plug" of your fx and place any fx before or after an other, as you as using separate ones...
I still use analog fx and valve distortion for studio, just because gt3 can't do what they do, but they're not able to produce what it does.

I think it's reliable, but I prefer to wait to give a mark...
The only thing I don't like at all, is that small output level button on the rear panel, because it looks like these on radio toys of supermarkets! I prefer to set it on a value and never touch it!

Never deal with them, because of the reliability (I have several boss pedals, and two are very old...).

Professional sounding for public price!

The blue box has a lot of menu and submenu type controls instead of regular knobs. I think it's unfair to compare such a device to a phase 90 (one knob == great results) type thing, and keeping in mind what it is and what it does, it's easy to operate once you get used to it if you're used to multi effects boxes or computers or similar. It loses one point for the poor manual and one for the fact that it's a bit difficult to get a good overview of the settings within each block. If you expect/need phase 90 easy of use, read this rating as a 1 instead ;)

Some people say they can get nice distortion sounds out of this box. They say you just have to have patience and tweak and know what you're doing and it's great. I'm happy for them, but it's been disappointing to me. I've tried the 4 cable methods, guitar input, effect return input, direct through pa with the cab sims on, lineout and amp global settings, tweaking and tweaking, eqing, yada yada, I've never felt good about the basic sounds I could get out of the unit. After a while I figured I'd just use my amps distortion and use the GT-3 in the effect loop and that worked better, but not well. It just took something from the sound that way. Nice, warm clean sounds turned cold when I plugged it in to add delay (without any effects on) etc. At first I used it with a Marshall Valvestate, which I've since learnt might not be a good match for it for some reason, and it was the same with the Flextones, Mesa Boogies, Fenders I've tried it with (I don't own all of those but I've tried it out with each for at least two weeks). My Strat and my Jackson sound fine through all those amps without the GT-3 so I don't think it's the guitars. I don't mind the distortions being... "difficult to use if you don't know what you're doing" because I really like to get that stuff from my tubescreamer + amp, but when a unit you want to use to add a little colour does the bad things to the basic tone this thing does (to my ears, I may be cursed), it's not for me. Sorry. It get's a 5 for at least sounding decent through headphones for practice.

As the cliche goes: It's a Boss. I've experienced nothing with the GT-3 to tell me that Bosses aren't the tanks the urban legend says they are. And that's even though this Boss is more like a computer than an OD-1. Unfortunately I wouldn't use it at a gig at all, though if I did, I wouldn't feel bad about not having a backup.

Never dealt with them.

I (try to) play everything with guitars in it, rock, pop, funk, metal. I've played for 9 years. I have not owned a lot of gear but that doesn't mean I don't know what sounds good and what doesn't (to me). This unit unfortunately doesn't. I really wanted to like it, if I didn't I would have gotten rid of it sooner. I had it for about a year so it's not like I tried to tweak it for two hours and then gave up. It has many features (too many in some cases - hello Auto Riff), and great controls - you can assign the expression pedal to control 8 settings at once, which makes for some interesting possibilities (set it to control the whammy and the rate of the tremolo at the same time if you feel the urge to sound like R2 D2). So, shame about the sound. It can't be stolen because I've replaced it with a TC Electronics G-Major, which is more expensive, but which I love so it's definitely worth it in the end. The moment I first plugged the G-Major into my amp to play some U2 riffs with the delay, it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. My nice warm amp sound, with delay, WITHOUT cold, digital harshness (analog freaks might laugh but then imagine what the GT-3 must be like if I can love one digital 'warm' device and loathe another). The GT-3 had gotten in my way of making music the whole year I had it. I do not miss it. The 5 dropped points here are the 5 dropped points in the sound category (I feel sound is kind of important overall to a product such as this). The GT-3 has been replaced by the GT-6 now so anyone buying this will probably buy it used and if you get a good price and don't expect anything fantastic it might be fine, but for me it wasn't. I have no experience with the GT-6, it might sound better.

This is my 6th processor , after some Zooms and Digitechs , and its the best one , among Digitech RP's and all the Zoom series .
To get the real good sound takes a lot of time , and you need to know the blue box very well . If you do it , no probs about editing ! The manual explains everything well , but it takes some time reading .
My rating for this one is high cos it's impossible to get a God sound with simple knobs . It needs some work .

I have an Ibanez RG and a Marshall VS100R . NO NOISE !!!The effects are really strong , like the combinations with a distortion and a clean preamp ( Metal 1 + Clean TWIN ) , ( Metal 2 + JC-120 sounds like Maiden ) , ... The only problem is the Wah . To make it sound great , it's necessary to choose a drive from the preamp seccion , not from the Overdrive/Distortion seccion .
I created a Vai patch , sounded exactly like Passion and Warfare ( I really mean EXACTLY ) and that old Satch sound , from Blue Dream .
There's a lot of Pantera good patches too .
The only noise , which is very low , is from the Acoustic Simulator .
Oh yes , Adrian Smith tone from Somewhere in Time is excellent !

To depend on it ? Sure !!! No prob about gigging with the thing without a backup . But if some guys from the crowd throw beer over it , I think the GT-3 will not like . The only thing is : it's necessary to change the battery ( this battery gives memory to save the patches ) , but it really takes a good time . Some people plays wiht it for more than 5 years and didn't change it yet ! And that's a watch battery , cheap , easy to find , and easy to change .

Never talked to them !

I play metal , and it's perfect for it ! And it's good for all the styles , in my oppinion . If it were stolen , I'd buy other processor to try new things , but for its price , it's more than excellent !
To use it in the power-amp , without the amp's preamp , make it sound absolutely heavy !!! That's it .

It is pretty easy to use and program. I had only one complaint about the ease of use, setting up the CTL pedel was not consistent with the way the rest of the pedels worked.

I have used Fenders, Gibsons, and ibenez guitars with the product. I am real happy with all the effects except 2. The cry baby and the distortion is limited. For the price you are not going to get any better.

Very reliable. No backup needed but Boss has always made reliable products.

Did not need Support.

It is worth the price if you cannot afford the best accesories. I use it all the time and will continue to use it until I can afford better. I wish it had better Cry Baby effects and better Distortion. Cause that is the only flaw.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work it. Bank up or down and choose your selection on the vast variety of effects to choose from.

I found that I wasn't impressed as much as I thought I would be when I pluged it into my half stack. Then I tried it through my head phones and damn it sounded amazing. Phsyco sounds. It all you really need to make a record besides drums. Crazy synth sounds and intro outro stuff. Quite nice.

Works as its supposed to.

Never needed.

Its got two outputs so if you ran it to two amps in stereo it would probley sound a whole bunch better. Or if you ran a line to your amp and a line to the PA.

It not very easy to get a real good sound. But it is eay to change patches. The manual is ok.

I play a Fender American Strat and a Les Paul Double Cutaway Plus. I'm going out of a Fender Chourus amp. It is noisy on the good distorstion sounds. The lead sounds are horriably weak, you can't get a good lead sound. And Clean and Crunch sounds just have no power.

It's pretty sturdy. I don't bring a backup device when I play gigs. But the sounds on it just suck.

I play everything from Steve Vai to Eric Johnson to ALL classic rock. It dosen't work very well for me because everything I play needs an awesome lead sound and they all suckkkkkkk.

Well it depends on your perception of things. For the most part everything was pretty easy to figure out. You have to do alot of tweaking, and when you do, you can get some pretty amazing sounds. Theres just alot of stuff you have to do and personally I dont have time to mess with it all.

Personally I didnt care for the sound. The wah's are absolutley terrible and useless, it is impossible to get any kind of realistic wah sound out of this pedal. Delay, AC Simulations, and the special effects (Human Gate, Space Echo, Fatasy, Sythisised Crap....) all sounded really good. About 70% of the 50 billion diffenrent distortions that came with this pedal do not sound very good. I figure If I would have tweaked with it for a while, it would have sounded ok, but theres just to many of them. The phaser only had one speed< the flanger..... I wont go there. it just doesnt flange!!! Well, I'm sure I could have tweaked it all, but I prefer a couple of single effects better.

It never failed me here, I could use it anytime without problem. Made out of a good material, so you can keep it nice and shiny.

I have attempted customer support before with many other brands, so I did not bother to try and get the manual that the store forgot to give me.

I play metal, funk, blues, classic rock, alternative, it just wasnt much of a use to me. I just had no use for all the crap it contained, It was like everything was halfway done, and I know it didnt reach its full potential. I played it on a mexican strat, and it gave me just this raspy vintage sound I did not care for, and I could not use the phaser/flanger or wah for my band because they did not blend. I know other people have there opinions, but I just dont like this thing, but hey, it has a chromatic tuner in it!!!. After 4 months of trying to get it to sound right while waiting for my local store to receive my belated manual, I decided to trade it, and got a Les Paul with a Metal Zone and a Tube Screamer. Do what you want, but this is what I think of it.

SO FREAKING EASY, i didnt touch the manual, took me minutes to figure it all out

de armond 7 string s 67
gibson epiphone
fender strat
fender ultimate chrous dsp

clean, clear, under control

some need tweaking, some are dumb, but when you make your own, they absolutly ROCK!!!

fender uc dsp

limp bizkit, linkin park, easy to copy sounds!! awsome stuff

distrotion could use more bass ( its got lots, ive tweaked em) but SOME MAY sound tinny at start, ive costumized all them to sound perfect and how i wasnt em!!! GJ BOSS!!
nice echo nice chorus..mmmmmm

no problems, gig worthy!!

dunno yet!!

omg i love it , all you noobs out there giving it a bad rating SUCK !!! its the bomb guys, i recommend it so much

love the price!!! so great!!! $550 canadian baybee

takes a while to get the sound you want, but id rather it have alot of settings and take a while to get your sound than it to be simple.

ok here's the deal. The sound on this unit is 100x better with an outside EQ. I recommend the Boss Advanced EQ (which i reviewd on here as well).

The EQ gives it a MUCH better sound than it has by itself.

The effects are great, but the distortion really requires an outside EQ.

boss=tank

only thing im worried about is the pedal, i saw one used unit a while ago that had a broke-ass pedal on it.

never dealt with them

This is a good pedal. For me it's excellent because of the outside EQ i use, so i would try it out with your setup before buying it.

I'm giving it a 9 because its a great value with all the effects it has, and because there ARE great sounding distortion patches on it. you just have to sit down and find them

oh btw, put the EQ AFTER the GT3.

When I first read the manual, I thought I'd gotten into some rocket science applications. So I tossed it aside, and went at things the old fashioned way, pushed buttons till I figured it out. Now, I have the whole thing pretty well customized.

The whole reason I got the GT-3 was b/c of the sound quality. All of the Digitech and Korg pedals are WAY too noisy. The only noise I get is from the tubes in my amp. I'm currently running a 98 American Standard Strat, with Vintage Noiseless pickups and 1 meg pots, through the GT-3, and a Fender Hot Rod Deville 212.

Some of the effects are a little weak, but you have to tweak the values, and the effect chain order is important. I have 3 different patches, with the same effects used, all at the same values, the only difference is the chain order. 3 totally different tones.

Hasn't broke yet. Use it for hours every day. not a glitch

Stylewise, the pedals works very well for me. I've been playing guitar for 12 years, since I was 6 years old. I play a little bit of everything, and with the various presets, and my own custom patches, I can shape my tone to fit whatever I want to play. I sold my other pedals(mostly b/c I never used them), now I just have the drive channels on the Hot Rod, the GT-3 and a Crybaby Wah. I would definately buy a new one, in fact, I think everyone should get one. I tried every single multi-effects processor out there, and the GT-3 was for sure the best bang for the buck. With the price drop after the GT-6 release, I'd buy another one if I had a reason to.

Very Easy to use. Just know a bit about EQs and Effects work and your set.

I have an Ibenez S370 going to varioua amps Peavy, Fender Princeton Chorus, Fender Rock Pro...Effects are true. Seemless when combined proerly. Distortions can get a bit tinny (tin sounding) if you mess around with too many EQ paremeters, however it's about EQing properly....Chorus and delay sound great. I owned a GT-6 and a GNX2 they both lack the ability to use more than two truely flexible modulation effects similtaneously thus I returned it.

Built like a donkey!!!!!! EEEEEEEE HAAAWWWWW

Good
Willing to hear you out

Solid. Better than GNX2 and the GT-6

U have to spend some times with it, it has a lot of parameters that you have to adust to get what you want. you can get almost every sound from boss gt3. The manual is not great, but you have to read it.

My main guitar is a fender stratocaster plus, gt3 with hughes&kettner tubeman (tube preamp) in the loop of gt3 to effect return of my hughes&kettner tour reverb. mainly i dont use the preamps and distortion from gt3, i use my tubeman for my basic clean sound and distortion. the preamps and distortion of gt3 are OK, its not bad at all but I like tubeman sound better. The EQ from gt3 help me a lot to adjust sound from my tubeman.
The effects (chorus, reverb ect) are very good, with the tubeman in the loop of boss gt3 i am very happy with my sound.

It is verry solid.

never deal with the yet

I am an all round player, have been playing guitar for about 12 years. I play in an all round band, we play a lot of funky-jazz music. I like the effects (they are not a toy, quality effects), the possibility (effect loop, midi, effect chain ect ect ect).
This is a serious guitar effects processor.

Alright, here I go with this. I got this from my sister for Christmas this year and built my own patches from the ground up within minutes. This thing is easy to use. But everyone is so lazy these days they wish the damn unit would do everything for them. Sad stuff......

I am running the unit with my ESP and with a late Peavey Special 212, the Transtube series. Is it noisy? Nope, turn the friggin' noise suppressor on. Well it may be noisy when you are running metal distortion with the lead amp simulations. But being a guitarist you should know that's a bad mistake. First try I nailed the 1982-86 Metallica distortion utilizing the "EQ". And got an awesome Muddy Waters blues sound with it. Basically with a few minutes work, you can duplicate anything within reason. All of the effects are good, some just need to be made and tweaked yourself. A lot of the presets are weak and lame, but after twisting a few knobs it's clean and pure.

It's a BOSS. Damn thing weighs a ton as it is.

Never tried. Never needed to with my older BOSS units.

I play a varied genre of music. (Metal, Rock, Blues) This unit could be used for country music. I have been playing for 12 years and this unit delivers! If it were stolen I would find the person who stole it then drop it on their head. It weighs enough, guaranteeing a dented skull for the unlucky soul who crosses me. One more thing, most of the reviews I have read, said this thing sounded bad. Well answer me this question. DID YOU EVEN TRY TO TWEAK THIS THING IN ANY WAY? It may just be me......but my sounds are clear and pure. Email me sometime and I will give you some of my own patches I made, I will include the EQ settings, Distortion settings, which will include drive and all that. The preamp settings, the works. If it still sounds bad, then it's your own fault. Email is jake182_@hotmail.com, look forward from hearing from you.

The basic things of this unit are fairly easy to use. Simple editing, tweaking effects, stuff like that. The harder things like assigning the expression pedal to the delay and similar things takes more time. I still haven't bothered to figure it out.

I use an Ibanez RG 570 thru a Carvin Legacy Combo. I add the GT-3 sometimes. I play Vai type rock I guess you could call it but not quite a Vai's caliber, lol. The quality of the sound really depends on where you are in tone preference. If your ear isn't developed as well, or you really don't care what it sounds like or you like the sound of solid state thatn it sounds pretty good. A little high-endy though. If you are a tube purist and only play $2000 tube amps than the tone will seem thin I'm sure. I would not use this as my main unit but for delays and harmonizing it is pretty cool. Sounds decent but I like the Legacy better so I don't use this unit much.

Never giged with it but I'm sure you would never need a back up while using it.

Never needed any.

I you don't have loads of money like most of us and want decent effects and good sound than I would recommend it. The only effects on it I use are Harmonist and delay, so I think I will just buy two simple pedals and not use this unit much. It is a great unit but not for my taste anymore.

Relatively simple to use, at least for basic functions. Geez, there's a video for it, so not EVERYTHING is intuitive. Actually, once the novelty of having such a versatile unit wears off, the detailed tweeking becomes rather tedious and time consuming.

I play a '95 american strat -> GT-3 -> marshall JCM 800 2205. I only use the GT-3 when i have the clean channel on the amp selected. Most distortion patches sound PATHETIC when switched with the JCM 800. Other effects like chorus, delay, and especially EQ are rather useful (since the clean channel on the Marshall leaves much to be desired). I bought this unit on e-bay a few months ago, and was very excited about the multitude of effects. All I can say now is this - I'd be much happier with 1 (one) incredible sounding distortion tone than the plethora of mediocre sounds that come from the GT-3. Yes, I'm selling it, and getting an Ibanez UE-405. Check them out if your thinking about making the digital to analog switch. Anyway, yeah. I also feel that most of the sounds that really do sound exceptional take too much time, and too much confusion, to actually obtain. For the last month I have settled on simple patches for my "most-used" banks, and these are becoming less and less desirable the more I get to know my Marshall. I can't stress this enough - DIGITAL MODELING WILL NEVER SOUND BETTER (or even LIKE) TUBE AMPS.

It's reliable. It has a metal case, and sturdy pedals. The only flaw is a rather weak power switch that seems kind of flimsy, and will probably break if kicked.

Don't know.

I play mostly hard rock with punk/funk/blues flavorings. I recently came out of my "Phish" stage (about a year ago), and was very into the whole jamband scene. f that. This unit is great for creating mind blowing modulation, infinite noise delay loops, and crazy autoriff echos. But for those who don't like hiding behind effects, this unit doesn't have very large balls. Distortion patches that sound very harsh, and amp modeling that sounds rather 1-dimensional have pushed me away from the digital effects world. Does it help me make music? No, it helps me make noise. When you grow bored of that, it's time to sell your GT-3.

Anyone can Use! I figured out how to uae it in the store when i was testing it. The manual is a book though, I never really botherd reading anything inn it except for specific things i wanted to know. It's set up clearly. I gave it a 9 because all multi effects take time to figure out and understand completely.

I play every kind of music, But my favorite is metal, such as pantera, alice in Chains, and metallica. I am using an Ibanez, unfortunatly a strat, and am getting a Prs for it. I play into a crate amp, which I bought because I get all the tone and sounds I want form the GT-3. All the effects sound like the Boss stomp boxes pretty much. There are a lot of useless effects on this unit, but all you have to do is not use them. The wah is a pain to use because the volume cannot be controlled with the expresson pedal when it is on, and it does not have a very wide range. Also the auto riff is pointless because that just takes away the whole purpose of solos, or playing fast licks. Some of the effects add noise, but not much. MOst of the effects sound just as good as stompboxes.

IT'S A BOSS! You will definiatly not need a backup.

The LCD stopped working correctly, so I contacted the company. They immediatly told me where to take it, and I had a new LCD put in it for FREE!

I was comparing the GT-3 with zoom multi effects, but I chose the GT-3 because it was built better, and the effects were twice as good sounding. If it were stolen im not sure if I would buy another or go out and buy individual stompboxes. you get A LOT for the price. For the price of about 4, you get 32 effects. If you are considering a multi-effects unit, chose the GT-3!(or maybe the new GT-6, which wasn't out when I bought the GT-3)

This has a ton of capabilites. Nothing with this much power is extremely easy to use, but this is very good. You can use it for playback, switch patches, etc. without using the manual at all. Once you get used to it, editing patches is very simple. I have never bothered to use the EZ edit method since the regular method of editing patches is quite simple. The "manual" mode makes six pedals act like a series of stompboxes, really increasing the power of a single patch. I got this for live use. My idea was to control everything from footswitches and not have to bend over and twiddle dials. It works fine for that. I use the control pedal to turn manual mode on and off and the expression pedal typically for volume. I also wanted LOTS of patch locations (this has 340 - 200 preset and 140 user) since patches which sound good with single coils don't sound good with humbuckers and vice versa. I have enouhg slots here that I can make separate banks of patches for different guitars. The manual is an OK reference manual but doesn't have a lot of exmaples. There is some good reference material online for the GT-3.

I use about 15 different guitars. I find it noisy only with conventioal single coils, which is not the unit's fault. With lower noise single coils or humbuckers, it's quiet, and it has a noise gate. I own a few multieffects - Korg AX100G and Pandora PX3, Johnson J-Stattion and have owned others (POD, Zoom 3030). Presets on all of these units tend to be pretty bad, but these are even worse than uaual. However, there are so many more patches that even if this has only 40-50 useful presets, that's as many or more than most units have. The preamp models are pretty good, and separating the distortion/overdrive from the preamp (which most units do NOT do) gives you a lot of flexibility. With a little tweaking, some remarkably good sounds can be had. The effects are excellent. Evan the wah, which everyone seems to hate, is OK for my purposes. I tend to use the vintage or turbo overdrives, and adjust the drive level and the gain on the preamp as needed. I play either through a tube amp, direct to a PA, or through headphones. There is an adjustment to optimize the unit for each type of output. You do have to be willint to tinker with it, but it's hard to imagine any sound that this couldn't produce.

This is where I'm supposed to say "It's a Boss"

No number in manual. I can't imagine needing support. The Web site, which had been pretty poor, has been upgraded, and I was able to find third party sites with the manual and other useful documents, as well as patches.

I play rock of all different varieties as well as other music. It is perfect for what I wanted it for. I want to control it entirely with footswitches, have names for patches rather than numbers, and have lots of patch locations. I looked at the GT-6, which had some new effects (Uni-V, de-fretter) and some knobs for real time adjustments, but my aim was not to use knobs, and the effects weren't worth the price difference. This sounds great after you learn now to program it and has tremendous flexibility. For recording, I would still use the Johnson J-Station, which has more amp models, but there's no reason why this couldn't do that job as well. Oh well, I guess I have some stompboxes to sell.....

As many have stated before, you must tweak and tweak this thing to get a good sound. It is definitely made for users who (1.) Know their stuff about indiviual parameters and their settings and (2.) plan on using one amp and one cabinet the rest of thier life. Well, let me explain: #1 is because you have to tweak every damn setting on the amp every time you turn around, and having too much control over your settings is often a bad thing. Especially if you don't know EVERYTHING about the parameters that you are adjusting, and don't want to know. I just want a good sound. I have had if for about a year now, and I still tweak it every practice. It still sounds very digital to me. OK, number 2: If you plan on using the same amp and cabinet your whole life... and you actually get it tweaked to sound good, then you will be ok. I went from a Randall 120 watt head and a full crate stack to a Marshall tube head and a full stack. This was a huge mistake. The settings sounded "OK" on the randall, but the marshall head sounded like dirt. This just does not seem right. Well, I tweaked and tweaked and tweaked until I got the Marshall to sound good. I went back to the randall head and it sounded horrible. This is commonplace with just about all heads, when you change they are different. You don't know the enormous change that this has on it! Editing the patches it easy once you understand the basics, but don't expect to get it done between sets. The manual is OK, but just like anything, it could be better.

Like I said before I use a Randall RB-120 Head or a Marshall JCM900. I pump that through 2 crate 4x12 cabinets. I play a Fender Strat (Mex), a squier strat (korea), a cort CL200, and a cort neckthru. Beleive it or not the Squier strat sounds the fullest, and the fattest. I have a DOD Gate pedal connected to the gt-3 and a crybaby wah (GCB-95). Don't even try the wah on the GT-3, it is not worth your time. I had to use the gate pedal because of the noise and buz that I get at most venues, and at home. The noise filter on the GT-3 is acceptable, but it is never enough. It needs it's own gate. The analog distortions are still very digital sounding. The chorus and phaser are ecceptional.

It is made of metal (casing), the pedals are plastic. I would trust it if I dropped it, though I would not reccomend it. I was at a show in Milwaukee playing when the guitar player for another band spilled a beer in his, and it stopped functioning. I do not reccomend that either. I would use it without a backup, but I would not use it if I had something better.

Never dealt with them. Good website, online support is ecceptional.

I play all original rock, comparable to STP, Alice in Chains, AC/DC, Godsmack. I will be upgrading to a new rig soon because of sponsorship, but It is good for a beginner or cover band. I would say that this would best be suited for recording situations, because it sounds great through headphones, but not through an amp. I would buy something else, probably not a multi-effects unit. Stomp boxes or a Line 6 with DFX. I do like the sturdy craftsmanship and a few of the digital FX. I wish it had a gate, a better wah, and better sounding (tube like) distortions. I could give a pie less about amp modeling, they can get rid of that, unless you want it for recording and you are too cheap to go to a real studio where they have the amps, or buy one. I have decided to buy a Line 6 Flextone HD and use the GT-3 as my midi controller for it. I will let you know how that works out.

I've spent a lot of time hanging over this unit tweaking, but after hours of work I've got a pretty good collection of patches. The manual stinks.

The strength of the GT-3 is for RECORDING. I compose using Cakewalk Pro 9 and the GT-3 let's my get any guitar sound imaginable in minutes. I tend to like classic rock/big guitar sounds. My favorite guitar sounds are Mick Taylor in the Stones, Mick Ronson with Bowie, the Edge from U2 and Jeff Beck, etc. I can get these kind of sounds with this unit pretty quickly. I use it with no other effects in recording. Even though the wah is kind of bogus, I find the auto wah with fuzz a really fun wacked out effect. The rotory is beautifull it sounds like a Leslie amp. The Plate reverb is the hippest reverb in there. I can get crunch overdriven blues sounds that leave plenty of the natural guitar sound ringing. Also nice clean jangle with chorus and the ring modulator for pychodelic parts. It processes my acoustics nicely too. And I even use it for vocals, the EQ and compression work nice for recording voice.

But live I have a harder time getting a great sound with the GT-3. So I keep the setting simple, I stip them down to just the effects I need. My main live set-up is a P-90 Les Paul Special (I also use a Strat, Guild Electric/Acoustic and a Dano Baritone with the GT-3) through and old Boss BCB-6 that has SD-1 overdrive, Ibanez Tube Screamer, OS-2 Over Drive, Boss Tremolo and RV-3 Digital Reverb into the GT-3 into either a Marshall JCM-800 or Fender Hot Rod DeVille. I use the GT-3 for Reverb, Delay, Chorus, Tremolo, Rotory (my fave), and sometimes metal sounding disortion.

No problems

Never need support

I like the unit but it demands time and patience to figure it out. I'm not a very technical guy and I think I could get more out of the GT-3 if I was. But overall I find it to be a great sounding, very usefull device.

I find it very easy to use - in an hour I was editing patches. The official manual however is useless - I had to go on the Net to download a much better manual. Appearently the pre-amp is disengaged in the "Line-Headphones"-mode, which is recommended in the manual. With the help of the unofficial manual I got the setting on "Combo" and the distortion sounds are much better. It gets a "5" for the crappy manual.

I'm using the GT-3 with a Gibson RD-Artist and an ESP Telecaster into my Marshall Bluesbreaker combo. It was basically bought for the chorus, but has now replaced all my other pedals. I can get any sound I want with much less hassle than before. I use the Matchless setting as my basic distortion, and it kicks ass. To all you guys who claims it's for beginners: Neal Schon of Journey used the GT-3 exclusively for his last solo album - especially the Matchless setting. I also find the Lead to Clean-setting very useful. The JC-120 setting is great for chorus but I find the Acoustic settings to be much to quiet - any good suggestions to what I can do?

It's built like a tank and I`ll use it without back-up

Never dealt with them

As I said, it works for me. I play in two bands and have to cover a lot of styles, and the GT-3 is all I need.

Very nice.You can almost edit patches right out of the box.The Ez edit, even if i don't use it it's great for the novice programmer.It would be great to have some knobs to manipulate the parameters in real time so u dont have to change screens ,just to test different eq settings.Manual is simply great

I use a bc rich warlock with it and i have no problems at all,no noises or stuff ,even if i use the most noisy amp in the market (crate gx-15 pure s**t).The preset are not THAT great but with a little tweaking and some good will you can get what you want .I have 15 extreme lead sounds and iam playing all the DReam theater stuff like if i had a mesa boogie...Anyway the wah sucks go buy a classic dunlop crubaby!!!

NEver crashed,played dozens of gigs without backup , it wont let you down ( assuming you dont shoot it with a stinger launcher!!1)

Dont know yet...

Its the best effects processor i ever had .Cross tested it with the new toneworks model.Easily the winner.If the wah was a bit better...

It is easy to get good sound from it with some kind of wizard and the presets are also very handy for beginners. So you can play and when you discover new things you can easily add them to your effect.
Patches are easy to edit, with the value dial you can adjust you effects to make them like you want them to be.

I use an Ibanez RG470 with a marshall G100rcd+AVT412A.
The effects are great only i had to adjust some because i played an Epiphone before and its zound was clear my Ibanez sounds more crunchy so i had to adjust till it was good.

This is the only pedal i use (also on gigs) an it has never let me down!

I play punkrock but i play with a metal kind of sound.
I would be nice if it had a sampler, so you can use samples for an intro.
I love boss, their sounds are great and i would definitly buy a new one if this one get's lost or stolen.

After a month and a half of using the GT-3 extensively, I can relate to most of the posts below. I've both praised and cursed the unit. I've created some great sounding patches that I've jammed on through the night. Yet I've also struggled for days trying to get warmer tones and more aggressiveness out of the distortion.

In many ways, the GT-3 is a contradiction. On one hand, the GT-3 is attractively priced for the beginner and the basement riff monster(like me). For the price of a few stompboxes, you can access every effect you've ever wanted (great delay, good reverb, a wide variety of pre-amps and distortion, a compressor and limitor, etc.) and a few that you don't (e.g., appregiator, autoriff, and some awful synth sounds). It's easy for anyone to start comping or riffing on some decent sounding patches. It's easy to modify the existing ones or create your own. You'll figure out most of the features just evaluating it in the music store. And the GT-3 offers great promise for being able to emulate your favorite guitarists. Hundreds of downloadable patches are available on the Web.

On the other hand, the GT-3 is VERY complex. It literally contains hundreds of parameters. Unless you're familiar with the physics of sound, many are confusing, especially to the beginner. Even those with some knowledge of how to manipulate sound will be frustrated by the process of digital tweaking--scrolling through options one by one on a tiny LCD screen. Gone is the simplicity of eyeing and adjusting dials on a stompbox. If one paramater is out of whack, you sound will suffer. The manual offers little in the way of help.

Moreover, the GT-3 is finicky. What sounds good on one set-up will sound awful on another. You'll learn this once you try to download or build a patch someone else created. If you're into exprimentation, you might enjoy the tweaking. There's even software available to let you do it on your computer. But if you just want to jam or pin down the "right" sound quickly, the GT-3 will frustrate you. Who the hell wants to spend hours tweaking when you could be shredding?

My setup: Jackson DXMG (2 EMG EZ humbuckers) > Original Crybaby (usually set in one position for frequency boost) > GT-3 > amp (either a 15W Marshall G15RCD or a cheap 15W Ibanez amp that doesn't have a model number). (Yeah, I know my amps suck. I told you I was a basement riff monster. My next purchase will be a good amp.)

The GT-3 is very finicky. A patch that sounds good in one setup configuration or on one amp may sound poor on another. Experiment early on, find the best setup, and don't deviate. Some amps sound better with the unit than others. Ironically, my cheap Ibanez 15W articulates many of my metal patches better than my Marshall, regardless of how much tweaking I do on the amp or GT-3. I usually stick with a Line (Headphones) utility setting, but a few of my patches sound better on the PowerAmp(Combo) setting. On the Web, many users have said the unit works well with Peaveys. When testing this out at the music store, try the GT-3 on YOUR amp, not what the salesman plugs you into.

Once you get the right configuration and set the Utility settings properly, you can start experimenting. I've found that the clean sounds are brilliant--especially the accoustic simulator. The vintage sounds are very good. Blues sounds are good, but you'll need to tweak to add warmth. For metal, it's easy to get great smooth sounding distortion for good sounding single line playing ala Iron Maiden. Extreme thrash and death metal sounds are difficult to capture, even with extensive EQ tweaking. Still, I've developed some aggressive mid-scooped sounds that work well for Slayer riffs. Most pre-amp and distortion combos are extremely noisy, even with noise reduction and the limitor. Stick with Clean Twin preamp and your favorite distortion when thrashing.

The delay affects are great. The harminizer is good--mine tracks well. The flanger is good, although noisy. The SubEQ is good for adding character to the distortion. The wah blows; although you can fix this by having the EQ sweep with the wah, I just forgo the headache and use my Crybaby. I prefer the reverb on my Marshall; it's much warmer than the GT-3's. The preamp sounds are fairly good and fun to experiment with. The distortion is the tough factor to nail down--getting the "right" sound requires tweaking. Matching the distortion to the right preamp (or using a 5 chord setup to take advantave of your own preamp) is critical to getting a good sound.

Keep it simple and use only the effects you need. Otherwise you'll sound over-processed.

For a month and a half, it has stayed on the floor in my basement. No problems so far. It has a sturdy construction and a nice layout. My only concern: the expression pedal feels cheap compared to my Crybaby. I'm not sure how much abuse it will be able to withstand over the years.

I haven't called Boss. IMO, the manual is the first line of customer support--you don't have to call a help line if you can find the answer yourself. Unfortunately, the manual sucks unless you are initiated into the arcane world of frequency physics.

The bottom line: If you want variety and affordability, the GT-3 is a good option. It won't give you great sounds, just good ones. But, with a little patience and practice, you can roughly emulate a wide variety of styles from accoustic to metal. If you're looking for a single killer sound--e.g., the perfect death metal fury or country twang--go out and buy "best of breed" products. And if you're in the market for a no-hassle effects processor, check out other products like Line 6's POD. Otherwise, you'll find yourself using the same handful of patches on the GT-3 instead of taking advantage of its full breadth and diversity.

I've heard a rumor that Boss is discontinuing the GT-3. This isn't surprising given its schizophrenic nature. If mine was stolen, I'd probably take a look at the GT-6 and see if the GT-3's shortcomings have been addressed. The GT-6 has lots of knobs on it, so obviously Boss is listening to its customers.

Difficult compared to an amp. and guitar.

Sounds can be good, if thin compared to an amp.

Probably the best.

I swore up and down for a year that you needed to simply "TWEAK", "TWEAK", "TWEAK". Others say the same thing: "TWEAK", "TWEAK", "TWEAK". Infact, a year later, and after every practice session, and every gig, I would go home with it, and "TWEAK", "TWEAK", "TWEAK". Now I'm tired of "TWEAK", "TWEAK", "TWEAKING"! I tweaked my frackin' tits off for almost a whole year! Yeah, it sounded "ok". Yeah, it's cheaper than an expensive amp. But, after 22+ years of playing guitar, and owning just about everything commercially made, I splurged and decided to support the American economy by purchasing a new Mesa Rectifier combo. Shite! I wish I'd done that before I bought all those Marshalls and racks of crap a while back. Now, I will never need to "TWEAK", "TWEAK", 'TWEAK" again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May seem hard at first but it took me an hour to figure out modifications without looking at the manual.

Anything you find wrong with the sound of GT-3 give you can be fixed. This pedal will not do everything for you; you have to experiment a lot to get your sound right. Don't use effects that you don't need, don't use it only because it's there. If you don't need it, don't use it! Using several effects at the same time does not necessarily mean that it will make your sound better. People complaining about the wah are dumb. The factory wah presets are weak but you can make it sound like a crybaby. Try changing the order of the effects, change levels, modify your distortion, turn off other effects, etc. Believe me, this is an awesome pedal if it's in the right hands. Don't give up on it...EXPERIMENT! Use your head! Talk to other users! Read the manual! Check postings on the web! This pedal is AWESOME

Reliable.

Haven't dealt with Boss / Roland yet.

This pedal is intelligent and only will only work with intelligent users.

A pain in the ass to use in real applications like practice and live performance, in that, you have to go with whatever you sounds you created at home, and then just go with them. Otherwise, for actual operation, it'll obviously cover your switching needs wonderfully.

I mainly use a Les Paul and US Strat. A couple of things I hated about the GT-3 was that in 8 months I could not get rid of a distorted sound from the acoustic sim. Whenever I came close, the volume would be too low. Also, when using the neck pickup on my Les Paul, the distortion sounds would just sound overly compressed- like the input was being overloaded or something. I could never solve that one either. Generally, the sounds are "ok". I say "ok" because, though they really don't sound like the amp's they try to model, they still sound far better than any plain old boss pedal out there. It served me well for a while using three sounds: clean/dirty/metal. It's a better option than dumping your hard-earned cash on a Marshall amp these days. Infact, the GT-3 would immediately be my second choice after a real all-tube high-quality amp, because you can use the EQ's and stuff to approximate the sounds you need, where you can't do that with just an amp. One problem with programmable stuff generally, is that you can sit home and spend hours getting your "ultimate" tone, but then when you take to different rooms like practice and live shows, the sound changes because of the room, etc. This happens with all amps, but in the case of amps, you can simply turn around an make adjustments quickly. You cannot, however, adjust a floor processor for 10 minutes in the middle of a set every time.

About as reliable as these floor boxes come. Tough!

N/A

I play modern and classic rock in a covers band. This unit served me well in the FX return of a 30 watt Marshall combo into a Fender 4x12. The unit sounded pretty good and never failed me. However, I found it to be too thin sounding over-all, and it would always get the higher pitched squealy feedback sounds, rather than real nice warm feedback. So, I sold it and bought the best amp made today: the Mesa Rect-O-Verb. I highly recommend Mesa for serious tone. Yeah- they're expensive, but you'll never need another amp again. The GT-3 is a great unit, but for me there was just too much dicking around on the floor with it.

Straight out of the box this is useless. If you know your stuff when it comes to tweaking the settings, you will be just fine. DO NOT LOSE YOUR MANUAL! And, for all you guys out there just like me... Just read it. You won't get a good sound out of it until you read just about every word of it. There are so many parameters to tweak that it is mind boggling. But on the other hand, that is good. If you want a specific sound, you can get it. You just have to knwo what you are doing. The manual jumps around a bit, but it is useful. No upgrades have been performed on this unit yet, I bought it new 2 months ago. Switching, copying, and modifying patches is simple once you get to know it. The master volume knob is helpful, but even more importantly is the master volume on each effect, as well as internally. I Turned the Master volume all the way up, then turned down the patch volumes. This is much easier to maintain.

It gets a great sound, if, like I said you play with it for hours. The noise suppressor is not top notch, but I used a DOD gate pedal before the gt-3 to suppress it all. A lot of the effects are useless, but what do you expect when you have this many. I would have been happy if it just had distortion, chorus, phaser and autowah. That's just me. I am using this with a Randall Commander RB-120 Head, and 2 Crate Fullsized 4x12 cabs as a stack. 2 Fender strats and a cort CL-200. I never use the wah on the gt-3. It sucks. I use my old faithful crybaby GCB-95 pedal. All the guitars sound good thought the unit, with the humbucker pickup only. The others sound muddy. They sound that way with any amp though. The COSM stuff only sounds good through the headphnes or direct recordings. Not good through an amp.

This is built like a tank, I would not want to purposely drop it or smash it, but if it happened, I would trust it still operates. I know 2 other people with these units and thiers have stood up to a lot. One of the guitar players for another band that opened for us spilled a beer all over it and just tipped it over and drained it out, wiped it off and started jammin. I would trust it without a backup, but I am a moron.

I called them on another unit that I had, they were most helpful. No service was needed, but support was cool.

I play hard rock, all original. It would work for just about anyone once you toy with it for a while. I have been playing for 10 years now, and this is the best unit I have found for what I want. If it were stolen, I would hunt down and kill whoever did it, then buy two more with the insurance money and give one to my other guitarist. My favorite feature is the sturdy construction. The thing that I hate is the long waiting period when you lose power or shut it off and turn it back on. Kind of like booting up. I wish that it had a gate rather than a noise suppressor, maybe just both. I also wish that the tuner would calibrate down to 430 cents. Just my preference.

I'm sure I could put my mind to it, but I only want about three very high-quality sounds. The amp does two, and from my limited toying about, this one probably does the third, but is just way too much trouble for what it's worth.

I run a '74 hardtail strat through a Mesa/Boogie DC-5. The gain channel is great and I don't see myself adding / subtracting. So I don't like the fact that the GT-3 doesn't truly bypass. It's probably great for a cheaper amp, though.

In my experience it was quite noisy on any setting that required a preamp gain, but my experience isn't extensive.

The effects are fine but since I only want a couple I think I'll go find myself some stomp boxes instead.

I think my favourite artists use insanely more expensive version of these so I won't even grace that question!

I wouldn't use it at a gig at all really

NFI

If you live in Australia (particularly Sydney) and you're after one of these, it's in pristine conditions since I've only taken it out of the box once or twice. It has its manual and power supply etc. Make me an offer in an email. Sorry to the HC staff if this ad is a bad thing!

At first I found the GT-3 very difficult to work with-"Too many buttons"-but after spending some time with the unit and skimming the manual (typically diificult to get through--there are "unofficial" manuals printed by user groups that are very easy to navigate)-After I got a little more familiar with it I found it easy to edit--presets are hit-and-miss, but are good jumping-off points-I used to have an ME-5 so I was familiar with how the pedal operated. There are still lots of tricks and shortcuts I don't understand, but it is a very deep unit.

I'm partial to stompboxes and am somewhat purist as to gear...I use a Deluxe American Standard Strat w/Lace Sensors (OK, I'm not THAT purist) a Les Paul Studio and an old Jazzmaster (the most underrated guitar ever) through a Fender Blues DeVille...I tried the recommended setting of using the loop chain and the midrange control but reverted to the standard setup--setting the global to "line/headphones" really DOES make a difference. I also play solo acoustic, and this unit REALLY shines for that--It's clean sounds are tremendous, as are the phasing, delay, and chorus (which I almost never use) the wah is ok, but tremolo is actually great!, especially the ability to change speeds via the pedal. Using the pedal to change rate, depth, sounds, etc. is a great feature-Plate reverb is nice-I think the preamps are generally ok and the distortions, when tweaked, can do some nice things--the unit does change dramatically according to the huitat and it is hard to get consistent levels and I still have not exploited the pedal enough to do it justice. I miss the ability to go "on/off" like a stompbokx but don't miss all the cords! Harmonizer/Synth sounds are too pristine and "cheesy" and track poorly, but there are enough bells and whistles to make it fun and, in a studio setting, useful--the GT also can be a bit raspy for recording, but the overall sound quality is so much better than earlier multi-boxes

It's built like (fill in cliche that means indestructible) It needs tweaking according to equipment and room and sometimes the levels really seem off. It is better for subtle goosing of sounds rather than the guitarist becoming too dependent on it--I'm still riding the fence on it for live performance, but again it depends on how dependent you are on it and how much of a tweaker you are--I'm not one.

I called BOSS to get a manual and asked a couple of questions about the unit and they were very helpful and prompt.

I play a variety of styles and focus on original material ranging from retro-ish rock, pop, twang and R&B to jazz and acoustic. The GT-3 is very versatile and useful, but isn't for everyone. I'm finding that the less reliant I am on the unit, the more I like it-It does offer many sounds and options and after awhile is easy to use, but I still miss my boxes and find it hard to place the sounds in a useful order. It's been good for recording and ok for live-I do recommend using additional boxes for overdrive and wah, and a bypass pedal for straight amp sounds. The GT does clean very well and offers lots of flexibility, and it helps if you have a background in computers or video/audio editing, since it is a different way of thinking.

It's so easy that even a 7-year-old could figure it out! VERY EASY!!!

1. CRAP!!!! Unless you play METAL with awful fuzz-sounds that screams and makes a lot of noise, this unit ain't for you... I play for the most rock'n roll and funk.... Truly, this is the worst multieffect I've ever tried... The older GX-700 was much better.... And still is... I used GT-3 through a Roland Jazz Chorus 120, and the GT-3 stole the punch and the brightness.... I hated it!

Though it crap, its a BOSS!!! You can always trust BOSS! I have a DS-2, BF-2, DD-3 and others, and I've never had problems!!!! Trust BOSS!!

Never had to contact them!

I basicly play funk and rock'n roll and play a Fender Squier Strat with delta-tone pickups, a Ibanez Talman with lipstick and the GT-3 steels the wellknown stratsound. TERRIBLE!!! It can be stolen, because I sold it after a month!

This thing is extremely easy to use. Just press the setting you want to modify and spin the knob thing till you find the setting you want. However, getting a good distortion sound out of it is VERY difficult at first. If you don't know how to edit compression and eq's then it is very hard to get a decent distorted sound.

I play metal, prog rock, punk, and hardcore stuff. I use a BC Rich Warlock Neck-Thru with an EMG-81 in the bridge, and a stock Epi Les Paul Special, ->GT-3, -> '78 Fender Twin Reverb. To start out, the clean sounds are quite good and are fairly easy to get a good sound out of compared to the distortions. The acoustic simulator is excellent. I don't know how to describe the clean sound it makes, but all I know is that it kicks a whole lot of ass. The effects are all very good (chorus, flanger, delay, etc.) except for the wah which is merely average until you figure out how to make the wah sound good. The reverb and noise gate are great. The reverb sounds excellent and is better than a lot of amps out there (still doesn't touch the twin's reverb though). The noise supressor takes out a lot of the uneccesary noise and helps out quite a bit when u r playin heavy music. The eq is excellent. It helps out quite a bit when trying to dial in a good sound when using any type of effect, especially wah sounds. The distortions r the only thing that really makes this thing a pain in the ass. Not only do they not sound good compared to a Boogie or Marshall at first, but they lack warmth and are very processed sounding. Until discovering the pre-eq (which is great, by the way) there was no way to get any warmth out of this unit. Once I discovered that second eq and had the distortion compressed, then it came alive. It sounds great for dropped tunings as well as standard tunings.

Made out of steel.

It is a very good unit once you figure out how to use it and use it well.

Everyone says it's tough to learn this beast...I disagree. The first day I had it, I was building patches. There are 3 editing modes: EZ Edit, which lets you adjust only a few different parameters, Quick Settings, in which you choose from factory settings for individual effects, and the full edit mode in which you do everything. I used EZ Edit once and Quick Presets very sparingly...not hard to learn at all.
Getting a decent sound is easy if you spend 30 minutes or so tweaking...but that's nothing when you consider all the effects and parameters on this thing.

I use this with Gibson and Epiphone SGs into the front end on a Crate GFX-212 with a Marshall 1960B (GT-3 on Guitar Amp: Stack setting). The only noise comes from the high-gain effects, especially the amp models. (my main model is Metal Drive which is a Recto).
If you tweak it enough, you can make almost anything sound good.
I got Metallica (old and new), Sabbath, Alice in Chains, AC/DC and Godsmack sounds no problem...
Overall, the chorus stands out as best. My only complaint is with the harmonizer...doesn't always track well.

This thing looks rugged enough...feels rugged enough...I hear the only weak spot is the output knob-if you kick it just right, say bye-bye.

I play metal (Metallica/Godsmack/Megadeth/etc.) and it works fine for me. If someone stole this, I would steal it back and bash the guy's head in with it. (metal cases do come in handy) I compared this to the RP2000 and there was no comparison...all I wish it had was a better-tracking harmonizer...

I am Lurid on the HC forums.

It took me a while to get good sounds out of it, but then again, I had only started playing when I got the thing. But it is extremely easy to edit patches. All you have to do is click the effect you want, and then use the arrow keys to move from one setting to the next.

This is the only effect pedal that I use. I use basically two guitars with this thing. They are some kind of Washburn hollow-body and a Fender reissue 1968 Stratocaster. The acoustic simulator sounds great, but I don't use it because I have an acoustic. The wah is okay...not amazing or anything, but I think a lot of people are trying to have the wah do all of the work for them, without actually being good musicians. Most of the distortion sounds are pretty good. Some of them really aren't very useful though...like the fuzz, which sounds like a cheap guitar running through an overdriven 5-watt amp. I haven't much used the harmonizer with the guitar, but it rocks when you talk through it and just have a pitch-shifted sound!!! The slicer is a very useful effect too. Great delay and reverb both...of course, if anybody can make a bad reverb sound, that would shock me. Basically the thing rocks.

I have never had any problems with it. I have done a few gigs with it, never with a backup, and it has always worked fine.

I've never had the pleasure of dealing with them.

I play blues, hardcore modern rock, and a few other variations of those. This seems to suit those styles very well. When I play live, I just run it through a 15-watt Crate with a mic on it. I also record with it directly plugged into my computer's sound card. I intend to keep recording with it for a long while, but I may switch my live setup to some kind of distortion/wah combo pedal, as those are my main effects. One effect that has no use at all is the auto-riff.

The manual sucks bigtime, just the VERY basics.The usual fx are pretty good and u can tweak them to your own needs as there are so many parameters, but I think that even Kirk or James(the 2 dumbasses from metallica)could do this without a manual.The real problem is that there ain't shit about the complicated stuff like for instance how to assign a wah to a patch or call for example both "chorus and delay" with the press of ONE(=1) footswitch, those who have (had) it 'll probably know what the fuck I'm talkin' about.
So it pretty much sucks anyway as most people could handle chorus and the likes anyway, manual or No manual but the manual doesn't really provide CLEAR information about it's advanced features so.......

First of all this thing is a REAL TONESUCKER, because of the GT-3 I will probably never use digital stuff again.
The basic effect are good and (the wah is decent, no more, no less)so are the SFX but nothing really to write home about, but ok for the price I guess, a good point is u can use up to 13 at once and they're highly tweakable.
The amp modeller is very "so-so" and the distortion, while nice and smooth they TOTALLY FUCKIN' LACK warmth, T O N E and PP UU NN CC HH.
The noise gate is pretty good and helps the distortions clean up a bit but even then... Harmonizer, Reverb and Slow Gear are pretty cool although there's still something missing.
My advice : buy a strat plus while u still can and a DECENT AMP and THEN add QUALITY stompboxes as Fulltone, roger mayer ,H&K, electro-harmonix, etc NO BOSS, ZOOM, DIGITECH as they thin out the sound considerably and are meant for people still beginning or people who have shitty amps.(buy a better amp then I'd say then for the money but it's free world, whatever those fuckin' fundamentalist try anyway AMERICA, GOD BLESS YOU ALL).
The real problem with such mediocre FX's are the PUNCH that u can only get from QUALITY FX's or a good guitar and an even better amp(such as the new avt series by Marshall, Bandit from Peavey,....).
It just kill your tone.

The almigthy cliche; IT'S A BOSS !!!!!!!
I have owned it for a year and No problems, gig dependable, very well built

Never dealt with'em(I don't many people do as it's Boss), read the other reviews.

Play Blues and Metal(real metal such as maiden, nightwish, Pantera and so on) NO nu-metal bullshit or Metallica, and as far as blues is concerned I adore Albert King(the iceman),ZZtop...
I would never buy it again if it were to be stolen, but it can't 'cause i already sold the bastard for a Marshall AVT 100(=brilliant, the onboard Fx's here sound way better than that other motherfucker Gt-3 as they are only meant to color your sound a bit and let the REAL FUCKIN' warmth, tone and PP UU NN CC HH come trough, absolutely fuckin' brilliant)
I choose this one in the first place 'cause at the time I was a sucker for advertising haha but after 3 months or so i didn't use it anymore on a regular basis, AND I PLAYED A PEAVEY EXPRESS 112 at that time, WHAT THE FUCK DO U THINK THIS MEANS HEuh ?, I mean the amp sucked bigtime but still nailed the Gt-3 in terms of Inspiration,warmth, PP UU NN CC HH, BUT NOT TONE, that however doesn't mean that the Gt-3 has good tone(it sucks bigtime but the tone of my express 112 sucked even harder so...) and that 3 vs 1 so u understand.
Actually coming to think of it it the only reason while I still used it was because of the EQ, good job Boss!!!!
I'd like to share that if there's anyone out there who plans on buyin' this "junk" anywhere soon, wheter used or new, TEST IT thoroughly, go back home and play your guitar and amp totally free from other effects and then go back to test the Gt-3 and then see what u think as we musicians lose lots a money on bullshitgear and other....
Euhhhh Just don't buy it!!!!!!

Easy editing and if you cannot figure it out the manual has all you need it in.

Here's my set up:
Ibanez S1520BP with dual EMG-81's---->Shure UHF---->Vox 847 Wah
---->BOSS MT-2 Metal Zone---->BOSS EQ-20---->GT-3---->Digitech Whammy
---->Crate GFX 212 Plus. Not noisy at all....Gonna throw a noise suppression to kill the hum fom the Metall zone....but the unit is really quiet, The distotion on board sucks total ass for metal, but the reverb is good and so is the chorus, flanger, phaser, eq, preamps and all the other stuff.....The AUTO RIFF is usesless and so is the arpegiator.

No problems yet...been using it ever sence it came out.

N/A

I love this pedal. Is got so many different tones. It even have a microphone modeler that you can actually set how far you want the mic to be away from the cabinet. It has this thing called Auto-Riff that is absolutly USELESS!!!!

I use a gutted out Fender Strat Deluxe with a Seymore Duncan Single Coil Humbucker in the bridge and I just run the GT-3 through the effects return on the back of my Peavey Half Stack Classic 100 and I can get some cool lows, mids, and Highs!! The Flange on it its pretty noisy but its controlable with the volume pedal.

Its a little dificult to make your own stuff, but as for saving and maving effects around, its very simple.

Never had t deal with customer support

Ive been playing since 9th grade and I am now 22 and this is one of the coolest multi-effects processer out. Its KILLS the Digi-tech RP-7 (Which I hat anyways!!). The only other thing that I think compairs is the POD or POD PRO. The GT-3 is quite simpiler to operate though.

It is reasonably easy to get decent sounds out of this unit, especially if you are willing to tweek a little. I've notice a big difference in output levels when it comes to different pick-up configurations and/or guitars. I realize that there are obvious differences, but I have never seen them quite this pronounced in any one unit that I have used multiple guitars with. Odd. The manual is a typical Boss/Roland work of genius. I skimmed it once and it had all of the syntax clarity of a pre-school class with a collective case of Tourette's syndrome, just add naughty words. You eventually understand what the manual is referring to if you guess really well. If you have problems with this, get the video.

My set up is as follows: A Godin LGXT/Gibson Explorer w/GK-2 pickup/Rickenbacker 230 w/ GK-2 pickup into an Ernie Ball Volume pedal, a Danelectro Dan-O-Wah, A Danelectro Daddy-O Distortion into a Yamamha T-100 1x12 Tube Combo. I run the GT-3 in the effects loop with a Line 6 Delay modeler just after it. I also drive a Roland GR-33 Guitar synth throught the same amp. I route it a with a 6 channel Behringer micro mixing desk.The chorus/flange effects can be noisy even when the noise reduction is on. The effects are strong and clear. I primarily use the unit for time based effects like chorus/flange/reverb/delay. Some of the things like Auto-Wah and Slicer may make an appearance later.They are currently only good for making cheeky, random noises.

It is certainly built in a Brinks-Truck fashion. Most Boss/Roland stuff that I have owned has lasted forever with very few difficulties. I use at least once a week on a gig withouth a back-up. I make assumptions of reliability.

Website for Customer Support loads like molasses. Hope that the phone system works with greater vigor. Never had to upgrade and/or have repair.

It allows me to write comprehensive packages of patches for very specific applications. It is rock-solid and I would buy it again should it disappear. Maybe the GT-5 or GT-6. I play a weekly church gig, in one Celtic/Pop hybrid band, minor session work and some soundtrack recording.

This unit is pretty simple to use. All the effects have a corresponding button, and you can scroll through them very easily. Editing is simple, just use that circular scrolling device and you're set. Manual can guide you through with fairly no problems

I first used this thing into the back of my Fender Twin Reverb II's Return jack. I play a stock '78 Les Paul Custom Black beauty. I found the distortions to be extremely noisy. I get feedback most of the time. I tried using the distortions only, and then the preamp modelers alone, and then combinations of the two, but I still couldn't get a very good distortion tone. It sounded really tinny and thin, no beef or balls to it. I then plugged it into the front of my twin and it sounded a little better, but not much. I screwed with the eq for days, but couldn't find a satisfying setting. The other effects are allright. The chorus is good, the phaser is decent. Flanger works pretty well. I never use the harmonizer. The reverb sucks though, maybe cuz I only dig spring coil reverbs. This is a good effects unit for your delays, choruses, flanges, etc. Vibrato is kinda weak though, I hardly notice it's even on!!!! I tried this unit through a VHT power amp into a Marshall slant cab and it sounded alot better. But, still I thought the distortions were too processed sounding, not warm and natural at all.

I can definitely rely on this piece of gear. It's built very solidly and it hasn't let me down yet. I don't think I need a back up with this.

Never dealt with them before.

I play Hard rock and blues mostly. I've been playin' for 12 years. I don't use alot of effects. All I need is distortion, overdrive, Wah, and Chorus. If this were lost or stolen, I would probably not get another one. I just got a SIB Varidrive pedal and that thing smokes!!! Also, the wah on this is not too responsive...I went back to my old Vox Wah. I would recommend this to players who need an arsenal of effects, but Don't use the distortion on it.

THIS UNIT IS FOR SALE....It is also not to bad...just read the instructions manual and it will take you right through it. I recommend going through it without the guitar on or plugged in first. Just sit down with the manual, the GT-3 and a cold beer and get to know the unit and how to move around, then plug in. Easy to edit patches. The manual does the job but it's not any great piece of work. Don't know firmware number but the unit is only 3 months old.

I used the GT-3 with a Marshall VS-102 100w 2-12 Combo, sitting on a Marshall 4-12 1/2 Stack. It was a little noisy on some of the heavy distortion settings. Effects are mostly strong enough to do the job but when you change from heavy distortion to say the acustic guiitar setting there is a big volume drop. This caused a problem for me. I would have to gain down the distortions patches to about 75% to have the volumes match when I changed to the acustic guitar simulator. Don't copy any artists guitar really, just work on my own sound. The distortion does not work well with my Marshall set-up. I can't explain it but it just does not do the job for me. This is a big problem to me. Other people told me it sounded great but I did not like it, therefore I am going to sell the unit. I'm going to post it on the for sale area so if your are interested drop me a line $275.00. Dallas/Fort Worth Area

Boss...bulletproof!

N/A

I play rock from the 50's to the 2000's Just about anything that use to be popular that doesn't suck today. I have been playing 16 years. I think the unit is a great unit it just did not do what I needed it to do. I did work with this unit for quite some time and it was just not working with my style of playing. That is not to say that it would not make someone very happy with their sound it just did not work for me.

It's not hard to figure out the basics of how to use it and program it. It's tedious though. It takes a little work to figure out how to edit things, but once you get it down it's pretty quick. Figuring out what all the settings do...well that's another story. I'm still 'discovering' things that I haven't ued yet.

IMO it depends on your need. The GT-3 has a lot to it. I think this is too complicated for live use - but I like simplicity. For home use it's the most outstanding practice/headphone "amp" I've used (although expensive for just that).

As with most multieffects units it's all over the map - some real nice, some not so nice, and some utterly useless. The effects side of things does a good job at all the basics - probably similar to the standard Boss pedals (although I've never owned any). Delay, Reverb, Chorus, Flange etc. are functional and work well. Some nice stereo effects too.

I've read some say the wah is weak. I find that there are so many settings that I can almost always find the sound that I need. Is it the "one" wah, well...no. But close enough for my purposes.

The synth type settings are pretty feeble IMO. tracking is ok at best, and the sounds aren't that strong. The slicer and auto apeggiator are next to useless from what I can tell.

I am not at all a fan of the overdrive/distortion and dirty preamp sounds. I've been through them all and tweaked and tweaked and tweaked and it just doesn't do much for me. Mostly pretty buzzy and raspy sounding without the real gut punch that you want from a high gain amp. Some of the clean preamp sounds are pretty nice. The Twin and the JC-120 preamps work well, although I still find that they need some 'help' from effects, which is not true of the real amps.

I like the GT-3 sounds best through headphones, but I do use the unit live with my cover band through either a Mesa Blue Angle or a Peavey Triumph PAG 60 (both 1x12s). I have tried the unit through the effects loops, having the amps preamp in the GT-3 ext loop, and directly in front of the amp and for me it works best going guitar->Gt-3->amp. Less monkeying around, and less cables. I just keep the overdrives and preamps off completely and use it for straight effects. It lets me mimick the sounds of just about anything I could want. With a little work I was even able to get a credible talk box sound by setting the Human Wah up properly.

One draw back is that it is very sensitive to different guitars, so the output volume can vary quite a bit. That's normally not a problem, but if I swap guitars at a gig some of the more complex effects setting simply won't work properly with one guitar or the other. Strange, but I've consistently found that to be a problem. Especially with the slow gear or swell type effects.

Seems solid, never had a problem.

never had a need for it.

Overall this unit is a lot of fun and has some very usable sounds in it. Buy a used one and I think you really get a lot for the money - even new it's worth it I think. For me it was a choice between a handful of boss-type effects and the GT-3. The GT-3 quickly becomes worth the price of admission.

If you're looking for that one or two killer effects I'd say look elsewhere. But if you're looking to get in the neighborhood of a bunch of effect (as those of us in cover bands so often need) than this may be your ticket.

Also look at the Digitech RP-2000 and korg (I forget the exact model). Zoom has a similar one too now. The RP-2000 is very similar with some effects better and some worse. I think they're out of production now so they may be cheaper.

JUST TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW THERE IS A PATCH ROM VERSION 1.03 OUT TO FIX A SLOW GEAR PROBLEM IN VERSION 1.02.
Ease of use is almost excellent. I wish they had a Win2k/Linux midi interface program for patches, but that's it.

Great sound quality. Some people knock the preamp but I wouldn't rule out their own equipment causing problems. I notice no buzzing worse then other effects nboards/processors. Come on guys for the money you could do a lot worse!

I haven't had problems with it in any manner....then again I don't have idiots slam dancing on it. Talking to the Roland techs, they said it's weak spot is the volume knob on the back. If it gets kicked in the knob it could be a gone'r. Other then that it has a fabulous warranty.

Just to say again, THERE IS A PATCH ROM VERSION 1.03 OUT TO FIX A SLOW GEAR PROBLEM IN VERSION 1.02. It's a screw up on Roland's part so they'll eat any cost. It took two weeks to get it back from the local Roland Tech...I was lonely and alone without this unit, I felt like I lost a friend. So when I got it back I celebrated by buying the Jem7VWH! GOOD GOD can I say what a freaking beautiful combo! I may never sleep again!

My style is 80's metal and anything Vai. I've been playing for 10+ years and this is the best board I've seen for the money. It can't be beat (literally this thing is tough). I've pulled every sound I can think of from Vaughn to Vai from this lovely creature and it was a hell of a lot cheaper then buying the individual effects or rack systems.

The thing's so easy to use I almost never had to refer to the manual. It's easy enough to browse through the presets, but it's when you get to edit your own sounds that you get the best surprise. Just a few clicks and a few turns of the knob and there you are, with killer, dreamlike, perfect sounds. The only reason I give it a 9 is because I had to check the manual a few times to be able to set the ctl and expression pedals properly, but, other than that, it's a child's game.

I use a crappy Peavy Rage 158 amp (15 watts, very very ugly sound), but I still get a very good sound out of this unit. If I plug in the phones, I instantly fall in a dream of sounds and melodies. All the effects sound good (albeit with a bit of tweaking), and even the distorsions / overdrives. Like someone said earlier, you just have to set the 'Your Setting' option to 'Line(Headphones)', even if you're plugged directly to an amp. If you don't do that, I admit the distorsions do sound crappy.

Anyhow, most of the presets suck and I probably never will use them in a gig or even just on rehersal, but you can make any sound you want out of it. I messed around with the od/ds and reverb, coupled with the expression and control pedals, and I can get killer sounds in a few simple clicks. Now, be sure you use those two pedals, else get a few cheaper stompboxes. The ctl pedal allows you to go from a clean to distorted sound (and back), without loosing the reverb or delay loop. If you just jump from an effect to another, the delay stops. But using this method, you can keep it ringing for hours and hours, which is what I like.

Also, the wah range might be a bit poor, but there's so many other things you can do with the expression pedal that you might as well forget about the wah. You can set it to trigger on/off effects, to raise the volume of any effect, from distorsions to chorus and delays, and it can work as the ctl pedal also. With a very high and tweaked-up reverb, you can get a kind of wind-blowing effect and you can make it come in just when you want it with the expression pedal. Pretty nice.

I've only had it for a couple of weeks, but had no problem with it so far. The thing seems built to last, unless maybe the expression pedal, which seems a litlle less tough than the rest.

Didn't have to deal with them yet, but such a big company as Roland should have steady custommer support.

I can get any sound I want from it and wouldn't want to change it for anything else, unless maybe the new GT-6 (not out yet, it was announced on July 21st), which has knobs for easier and quicker setting up.

It's quite easy to use and you can narrow the tone down to a pinpoint. Manual is great. All the info you need. Hard to get good sound out of the pre-amp. PRE-AMP SUCKS!

I use an Ibanez Jem 77FP w/ a Roland BC-60/310 Blues amp and it has hardly ever steered me wrong w/ clean sounds. Pre-amp is horrible. Too much buzz and tone makes me put down my guitar for weeks at a time. I now use the distortion on my amp and add in Overdrive. Much better. So much for ANTI-FEEDBACKER w/ this pre-amp. NOISIEST PREAMP EVER. The pre-amps distortion waves are being sliced at the top ends and it gives it a horrible skratchy sound.

I used to love my GT-3. It had incrediable tone all the way round but then one day pre-sets that I used to love were now my worst enimies. It totally 1-80'd on me and jacked itself to hell. Tone was lost and still is. I think some GT-3's are sold in medium condition and a few of us "buyer critics" get a good one but eventually (in my case 2 years) they shut down to crap medium. If it's in top of the line either you have no idea about tone or sound or you need to cherish it while it lasts. If yours is in medium crap condition then I'm sorry you didn't get to experience great tone at a low price.

Very nice and helpful. Still am not sure if their is a problem or not.

I like jazz, classic rock, blues, crazy Steve Vai/EVH rock and this unit doesn't quite provide enough. I've been playing for about 4 years now. I would sell it but I need something simple to play at everyday gigs and also Neal Schon uses one so we'll see. It has gotten in my way of making music. I'm going to go DigiTech 2120 or 2101 and switch signals between a power amp and an amp head. Can't wait. Good for beginners and it really depends if your're above beginner. Eventually I'll probably sell.

easier than any other multi-fx i have owned.
(zoom 505, korg, zoom 9130 valve dsp, korg px-II, rp-100{yuk})
and a zoom ps02 on its way. the manual is as good as you
will get. the users web sites have a lot of pre-sets that
help you get started. just tweak those a little. its great!!!
in manual mode you use it just like single stomp box's.

using many diff amps, a crate gx-120 stereo 120 watt solid state
with 2 12" spkrs, going in to the power amp line in works the
best. also a vt-120 peavey tube amp (deuce) straight in. and
a laney 15 watt 1X10 class a tube amp, straight in, and a crate
vintage club 30 watt class a tube amp straight in (haven't tried the
effects loop yet, need a special "y" adaptor for that) I get a great
sound from "all" of the above, although each amp has it's own characteristics. you do have to modify the patches slightly for
the "best" sound from each. but with "140" user patches, that's not
a problem. I get a diff sound when I change the global setting of the output, and you can tweak the output e.q. as well. that is versatilety. i do back off the amp models now, in favor of a little
distortion and compressor, and i like the hybrid sound better. by
mixing a little gain from all your sources (including your amp), it gets even more usable sounds. there is so much we have not explored in this little box yet, its amazing. by learning the best way to use it in "your" present setup, you can get great sound with it. but get creative, dont just hammer the amp model overdrive and give up. keep on listening, reading and get on line with user groups. this thing
will do much more than even its creators thought it would. with a little yankee ingenuity you can make this thing give out. and i expect
that it will be several more years before we really know all of the real possibilities it has. the noise is relative, you can reduce it by noise reduction internally, or just tweek the thing a little less on some of the settings untill you get that perfect balance. by changing the level of your amp and the output of the boss gt-3 you can do a lot also. i like the modulation effects a lot, with the right tweek they can sound analog or didital, either way you wish. i dont actually like the external loop, i cant get anything to sound good through it though. maybe something will, i dont know yet.

no problems yet. have had it a couple years.

dont know. read other opinions

i play all kinds of music ( no rap, that is not music ) sorry. but i
can get lots of great sounds from the gt-3. i have been playing for 40 years. on and off. and i use an epi-sII w/carvin pups, a jackson w/evolution pups, a peavey predator plus, and ovation ac-elect. i do need to adjust for the guitar i'm using. but i can get the clean sounds i love out of it. you can get diff clean by using a diff amp model, one not thought of as clean, and turn doen the gain. this makes
for dozens of diff clean stuff. i also have started using an ibanez tube screamer (ts5) in "front" of the gt-3. this gives me another choice. i use the manual mode a lot, turning on the mod, dist, echo, chorus, tremolo, and tuner, whenever i want, as well as use the ts-5 for a diff dist sound without changing patches. i think i will get a "true" bypass pedal, and hook up a mt-2, ts-5 and my big-muff (original 70's) fuzz so i can enjoy all at any time i want. it is so
usefull as a vol pedal with the manual mode, i use this configuration most of the time now. i would have to buy another if it was stolen. i do wish it had amp models that did not have that "yuk" noise when you crank them. and that the exp-pedal worked all the way down, as well as a digital input/output. but they will come down the road when the new model comes out. ( i dont know when ) otherwise, it is the best i have ever used. (the rp-100 i had for 3 weeks "sucked" bigtime) i would like to try the roland vg-88 with the upgraded amp models, but it is still too much money and it is not as easy to use i think. i do own a roland gr-1 synth though, so i already have the gk-2a pup. this helps me keep it simple, one ac connection, two cables and i'm going.

it isn't to hard to get a good sound out of it depending on what kind of guitar u're using and what kind of pickups. It is really easy to edit patches. theres not to much to it. THe manual for the gt-3 is awesome and it explains everything feature about the gt-3.

With the gt-3 i'm using a yamaha etera with a marshal valvastate amp. The good thing about this is that if you don't have that powerful of an amp you can make your amp louder then usual with the volume nob on the gt-3. Some effects are great and useful while some of them are very useless but still its good to have them just incase. Yes its vedryh easy to get the sound of my favourite artists such as rage against the machine and metallica. Other then the fact that it dosn't have a whammy effect and a very good wah every other effect is really good.

You can depend on it. Its made out of steel! its not like its going 2 break on you any time soon. I havn't had any troubl;e with it since i've got it about 8 months ago. I would definitly use this without a backup because for the money i piad for it, it better not let me down at a gig!

I like to play alot of metallica, rage, and anything else that is rock or metal. It is a very good match for this type of music. it has the perfect distortion. it has the boss metal zone built into it so its not like u have to buy another pedal. If this was every stolen i would buy another one unless i found another one with a better wah.

WHen i went to buy this i compared it with the digetech boards. THe reason i picked this was because it is better quality's, its easier to use and it has more features.

I wish it had a whammy and a better wah cause its really hard to get the wah sound i want with the wah i';m using now. its really dull.

ITS DEFINETLY WORTH THE MONEY!!

Wow, that's the first thing I have to say about this processor. This thing gets the sound I want anytime, and everytime. Editing patches is a breeze. I don't know why everyone cries about this processor being difficult to use, it's simple. It's time for all of you that complained to make the jump to digital, I don't see what the problem is. The manual has been very helpful for everything I'd needed it for, though I haven't needed it for much, as I've figured out most of the pedal myself.

I play a B.C. Rich Warlock and an Epiphone Les Paul through this unit, into a Fender M-80 head with a quantam 4x10 cab and a Marshall 4x12 cab. Using the compression feature can cause a lot of noise, even when you're only tapping your fingers against the strings. Some of the higher gain settings cause a load of feedback, but there is a feedback limiting option built into the pedal. I haven't tried, but I'm almost sure I can nail any sound with my setup. The GT-3 is insanely versatile and the M-80 pumps out great tone. I can easilly obtain Godsmack's distortion, and MetallicA's clean sounds. I have found all of the effects on this pedal to be high quality, and unmatched by other brands.

The thing is built like a tank. There is no other unit that I would use as a backup, save maybe an identical unit. And I don't really think you'll need any kind of backup at all. This unit is amazing.

Never heard of any.

I play heavy metal, and this unit gives me what I want. It has 11 distortions and overdrives that make it very easy to use. Not to mention a preamp that is loaded with great distortions and overdrives. I've been playing for 3 years, and I've been in two bands. If this unit were ever stolen, I would buy another in an instant. I would also cry. I love this unit's versatility. It is unmatched by any other unit I've ever used or even heard of. I am in love with the slicer feature, not to mention the fantastic distortions. I compared this to the digitech RP-12, and other various multi-fx units, this blows them all away. I wouldn't even consider buying it's bigger brother, the GT-5, because you get everything you need in a great unit for a lesser price. I wish it had a sitair feature. Then I could cover MetallicA more accurately and write some wicked, evil riffs. When I stumble onto new effects on this unit I start playing riffs that I've never played before, and I like them. This unit definitely inspires me and helps me write. BUY THIS BOARD!! IT IS THE BEST I'VE EVER SEEN!!

The unit is one of the easiest I've used, adjustments can be made in an instant,it's very easy to get a good sound out of

I use mine with a Jackson Kelly USA and a Mesa tube stack, the effects sound great, better than any I've ever used, the LA Distortion is particularly good as is the metal distortion. I also love the solo acoustic guitar setting and the clean JC-120 setting. The delay is very good and so are the reverb and delay

I would definitely take it without a backup, it's very sturdy, so it is therefore very reliable.

I've played for three years, and I play glam metal. The pedal works very well with that style. There are too many mindblowing features to pick a favorite, it really helps me make music. I like this unit a lot because it's very ideal and effective for live application. I own a Mark II Mesa Boogie from 1980 that's still in mint condition. It's a hundred watt all tube head and it cranks.

How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?

I found some of the presets to be ok, if used for the musical aplications they were designed for. Creating your own patches is easy to acomplish, but hard to master. There are endless possibilities.

How about Editing patches?

Editing can get tedious, I like to use the GT-3 edit software that I downloaded, I already had teh midi cable so I lucked out. The paramaters are simple to understand if you understand effects theory.

How is the manual for it (if there is one)?

The manual is great, I don't know what people expect. It tells you how to do anything you want.

Do you know the firmware revision number? Has your unit been upgraded?
1.02 I think so I don't use the harmoniser that often.

What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with?

I play a Stienberger Spirit GT-Pro to the GT-3 and then to a Power 60 by Tech 21
Is it noisy?

Not really, you need to use the global setting line/headphones to cut off any intermodulation distortion. I like the noise gate, it doesn't interfere with the decay of the note like some of the digitech stuff.

On what settings?
Some amp models make more noise than others, nothing that can't be fixed if you use the line/headphones setting and the noise gate.

Are the effects weak or do they always sound great?

The delay, chorus, reverb, preamps, tremelo, vibrato, compressor/limiter, and the modulations are all cool, very nice. The distortions are ok, they only sound good through the preamps at drive levels below 60. The harmonistand synth don't track especialy well and sound computerized, again good for some applications. The Ring mod, Acoustic sim and Picup sim are ok and Feed backer can be cool in a studio setting. THe wah is not great, but if you know anything about effect theory, you can design custom wah because the thing has two friggin parametric EQ's. Only an idiot couldn't assign the exp pedal to shift the High mid freqency between 400 and 2k to get a wah sound, you can even use both at slightly different frequencies to get a more vowel like sound and then you have the ariginal wah which can be fixed and used after th variable wah to getr an even more human like sound. or you can set it up so if one wah goes up another goes down, SRV did this with separate pedals stuck together.

What amp are you using it with?

I run it into a clean power amp.

Are certain effects (distortion, chorus, ...) very good? Very bad?

already covered

It is strong and durable, but it is like a computer so....

I play a very unique blend of mellow rock and blues with a 70's reflective singer songwriter tint to it, but the chorus might come roaring in with a heavy sound and a catchy riff before I go back to comping to the verse.

THe GT-3 gives me the versatility needed to pursue my creative vision, it has any sound I need.

The only time it would get in the way of creativity is if I wake up with an idea and I wanted to get it down quickly and I didn't want to deal with setting up the patch, I would worry about that later.


The GT-3 appears to be infinitely expandable with MIDI implementation and an effects loop, two would breed some interesting combinations of mod and SFX. The MIDI also allows you to store patches on the computer and retrieve them later, I don't know if I could even use more than 140 patches at a time before I needed to go to my computer and swap them.

I give it a 9 because there is always room for improvement and I don't want BOSS to get too safe in their skin and think they can slack off, I want SHARC chips in future models, those will allow the floats which enable more acurate models and infinite possibilities.

It is very easy to get a good sound out of this thing. In a matter of a day I had my own custom clean, dirty and heavy patches programmed as well as some imitations of sounds from my favorite songs. The manual isnt the greatest thing in the world but because the the pedal is easy to use it wont be hard to figure out. The only ting I suggest is that you get the GT-3 Owners Supplement Manual off of the internet. It will help because it is written by real people who have used the GT-3.

This thing sounds great with the setup i have. My setup is a cheap Washburn into the GT-3 and then into the effects return of a Marshall vs65r. This has prooved to be the best setup ever, it gives me great tone. At first i thought this unit had a very lite hiss in the backround when I would stop playing on my own very heavy channel, but with a little messing around with the noise reduction the problem was instantly solved. The effects in this unit are awsome, tehy sound great and i can achieve any sound i imagine. All the effects sound great. And this unit has so many sounds that you can have any clean or distorted sound from any amp ever made. Every style of music can be covered with this great pedal.
The best thing i like about this pedal is that i have been able to replicate the exacts sound of some very good songs. Some songs that i have been able to imitate are Pardon Me by INCUBUS, Rock the Party by POD, and Broken Home by papa roach.

I think this pedal is very dependable and can give very good sound all the time, I would definetly gig with it without a backup.

Never dealt with them but they feel kind of far.

this thing is great and suits my style of music perfectly. i dont understand how anyone could complain about anything on this pedal. ive been playing for about three years and ive never heard anything like this pedal. If it were stolen i would definetly have to track down the person who stole it. I was confused when looking for a good pedal but then i saw this one and i knew it was the best of the rest. i compared this pedal to the Zoom GFX8, Zoom GFX4, Korg AX1000, Digitech Rp2000, and Digitech RP300. But this thing is definetly the best value because it has so much more verasility. Sucha s being able to place effects in any order i wish. This thing is great and i love it and its from a very dependable brand, BOSS....................

for clean sounds, its really easy to get good tones if you have an ear. however, the distortion and overdrive is really tricky to get good sound. manual is fine.

Ibanez Destroyer II guitar (a good gibson explorer knock off) and a Peavy Studio Pro amp. I'm a punk rocker so i'm a fan of distortion. the distortion is quite shitty. The stomp boxes aren't any good, unless used with a pre amp, but still they suck. Once i get the perfect distortion sound, i stop playing and it will have a terrible hum. Once i get rid of the hum, i try palm muting and it sounds like shit again. Tip: for good distortion tone, use the phaser or the flange and only use the 'manual' and 'depth' and turn off resonance and rate. Also some good EQ comes from the chorus, you just have to turn off the 'rate' and 'depth'. So in order for me to get good plain distortion settings i have to use up every single effect group. No i can't get the sound of my favorite artist. Everything is great but the wah wah and distortion.

its reliable. 'nuff said.

I play punk mostly. some alternative and rock. I've been playing 11 years.

PRO: I have owned this unit for 2 years now. It's easy to use. It took 2 days to know what I have know for 2 years. Really, very simple.
CON: There is a little weird thing. You can't have two of the same effects in the same patch with different settings. Also, if memory serves me correctly, even the same bank messes up progaming "same" effects. Oh well. Still flexible for the price.
I would like a bigger display and better Expression pedal.

I use this in front of my Marshall TSL Combo with extension cab and TSL Half-Stack. I tried the effects loop, but all in all, it is easier and just more realistic to put it in front. If you want a good delay using your own amp's distortion, use a seperate one for in your effects loop. I use my clean channel and use the Preamp with effects on the GT-3. If I use the dirty channels, I don't use the effects on the GT-3.
PRO: Good selection of Preamp sounds
CON: Some sound a little digital and not very warm. Most sound like a fuzz box, but some (few) sound very nice. I tend to like the lesser distortion models.

Very good. No problems after 2 years.

Never called em.

I play mostly Classic Rock. Great for live playing.
I have been playing guitar for 23 years. Own 2 TSL Marshalls. V-Drums, Mackie stuff, Fender Big Apple Strat, Les Paul Standard, 52' Re-Issue Tele, 12-String Tak, Roland 1680, POD, GT-3, Ernie Ball Vol Pedal, tc elec M-1, other shit.

At first, it may be confusing.
But once you've understood the system to which the device works, you shall see how potential the GT-3 is.
the "EZ EDIT" function is quite smart and they have a "MANUAL" function which i find quite useful. however, like i said, it may be abit frustrating at first, but with abit of paitience and enthusiasm, you'll find it so easy to use.

excellent.
i thought this COSM thing was a load of bullshit, but it really seems to work. most of the circuit system is taken from BOSS's normal stomp boxes. sounds great and goes with anything from Jazz to progressive rock, Britney Spears to Pantera, Nirvana to Dream Theater, Hanson to Steve Vai.
but to get a good sound you really have to know EXACTLY what sound you want. don't expect it to do all the work for you. and if you can't find the sound you want, blame it on your incompetence.
a good paint brush doesn't make a bad artist any better.

i've dropped it a few hundred times, spilt beer over the LCD display, played it in the rain, and used it to hammer in a nail. this thing can last and WILL last.
if your model doesn't take good beating, you've got a fake one.
if i had a back-up, it'd be another GT-3

comes with a thoroughly detailed manual and Japanese peopl eseem helpful enough.

This effect is like a sports car: somebody who can't drive will like it but have no use for it, someone who drives an automatic will not be able to use it, and to fully benefit from it, one must be a GOOD driver. in that sense, the GT-3 isn't really made for a beginner. you really need a well trained ear and know how things work. fiddling around with the presets can be amusing to a certain point...there's is so much more in this pedal! however, it is also true that there is alot of stuff that you will never end up using.
i've been playing guitar for 5 years and know that i still have quite a road ahead of me. and as i get better, i feel my GT-3 will seem to become better as well.

This pedal is fairly easy to use, but there are HEAPS of parameters to consider when setting up your tone, especially on the EQ side (there are EQ settings on EVERYTHING including pre-amp, distortion, reverb, delay, compression etc) This is an overkill and too time consuming! No one wants to spend days setting up basic tones.

I use a 1979 les paul standard, seymour duncan pickups, stereo into a fender 25W and Ibanez 60W amps. I find the overall sound of the pedal too HiFi, too clinical and clean. It lacks character and grit, and also lacks a natural warm bottom end. On certain settings the pedal can hiss, and produce a super treble that can't be eq'd out of the mix. The clean efx (chorus, flange, etc) are great, delay is hot, wah sucks, pre-amps aren't great, compression is good. Can't get a decent distortion on this unit. I've spent days on the EQ side, as well as mixing in pre-amp distortions - no way, shit distortion.

So far no problems - it's very well built. Solid.

Never needed.

I play funk, and some speedy punk. I've been playing for 10 years, I know good tone and this pedal just doesn't cut it. I SOLD IT TO BUY A DIGITECH RP-7 .... kickass!!!

The Boss GT-3 is very similar to Roland's VG-88 in terms of pedal layout. It also shares the COSM modelling technology of the VG-8 and VG-88 (as well as a horde of other Roland and BOSS products of late). Having been a faithful Roland fan for the past 20 odd years, I found the GT-3's layout fairly straightforward and easy to navigate around in. The manual is LIGHT YEARS above and beyond Roland manuals from the early/mid Eighties.

I use the GT-3 along with a Roland GR-30. I'm running from the "Guitar Out" on the GR-30 directly into the input on the GT-3. The GT-3 noise level is roughly the same as the individual BOSS pedals it emulates. Most of the effects are quite useable, although the wah is a tad 'flimsy' sounding, compared to a standalone pedal. I'm primarily using this straight into a FOSTEX VF-16 for recording, although I also run the GT-3 into a JC-120 live, and the GR-30 into a KB-300. "Can you get the sound of your favorite artists? Who are they?" This, of course, is a HIGHLY subjective question that can only open up debate, so I'm frankly not going to address it. The COSM overdrive and distortion models are very good, yes.

For whatever reason, the BOSS division of Roland is actually built into stronger, heavier-duty casings than their more expensive Roland brothers. I've got it and the guitar synth on an extremely heavy-duty pedal board, with a flight case for it. Heavy? Yes. Easy to lug around? NO! I've never had any trouble with Roland or BOSS equipment, so yes, I'd use it without a backup.

n/a

I've used BOSS and Roland gear since my BeeBaa pedal in the late 70's, my CE-1 (how I miss that blue tank!), and my GR-300/G-303. I've always had a warm spot for Roland/BOSS products; they have a distinctive sound and character unlike anything else on the market, and that's probably why they've endured well into their third decade.
The GT-3 is going to be around for quite some time.

I've owned my GT-3 for more than a year now and i must say that i still discover new settings that sound better than the ones i've been using. Not all the time.....Especially the distortion setup is most difficult. I never use the tone controls in the distortion section, i always use the equalizer cause it sounds much, much better. Editing and creating patches takes a while to get used to, but once you've got the hang of it it's no problem. The biggest problem is which effect to choose for a patch. Most effects on the GT-3 are more versatile when comparing to the BOSS compact pedal (phaser, harmonist..). Only idiots will use the EZ-edit:sucks!

Sound quality is good in general. I'm a bit dissappointed bout the amp-presets. I'm only using the JC and TWIN and the crunch (way up) for drive. I use a marshall 8240 80 watt combo stereo amp. The tone control om this amp are passive (tone knob up to 10 means no cut) and i'n not happy at all with that. But a few adjustments on my GT-3 does wonders...The overdrive/distortion sounds brutal on this amp. That mainly cause of the two celestion speakers. Even at high volumes with overdrive, the tone does not get muddy at all and notes can clearly be distinguishable. I also use a BOSS line selector (LS-2). The knob is set to a-->b-->bypass--> Loop a controls my GT-3, loop b controls my other pedals (DS-2 turbo distortion/DD-3 digital delay/MT-2 metal zone/ibanez stereo chorus (hisses a bit, but what a sound!) and a pitch-shifter/delay). The bypass has my guitar go into my amp input. I play an apple red american standard stratocaster and a Ibanez Les Paul-model(don't know the model number). It's amazing sometimes how much noise scatters through pedals when they're all turned off!! That's why they're separated from my GT-3. I never use my amp stereo-effectsloop because it's very dark, no treble at all, very shitty..Actually one can get just about any sound out of the GT-3, very versatile espcially when playing live, one click does it all. The internal pedal's also great.

Never had any problems with it, has never let me down yet. Backup??

If you're an effects nut, than this is the processor to buy for a reasonable price. It has almost every BOSS effect on board.

The GT3 was very tricky at first, but after setting down with it for awlile it began to fall into to place. Editing is very easy, you just need to know what your dealing with."An EFFECT PROCESSER", not no kid toy. The manual is like a foreign language that I don't understand. Dont't get me wrong I'm not stupid just some of it is out their.

I play a ESP LTD 7-sting, and a Jackson Performer. I play on a Create half stack. I use my headphones the most it's a clears as could be. The sounds alwasys sound great.I have created the sound of my favoriate performers METALLICA, but don't think I'm trying to copy them. I have my own sound just as hard as if not hard then the classic Metallica sound.Chorus ,delay.....are great almost prefect.

I just bought it, no comment.
I would use it anywhere.

For everyone who has something bad to say about GT-3 take your hateful opinion somewhere else.Or set down and play with it some more because it can do things you haven't seen or done everything it can do, nowhere close.I play Hard Rock and it offers everything I need and more.I've been playing for 8 years and the GT-3 is the best thing yet. I have owned the death metal peadle, wah peadle, Zoom 505,and I still own Zoom707, Boss ME-8. This peadle helps me make all kinds of music.I have many of sound people would be intreasted to have. Maybe if you people who criticized the peadle would change your minds if you got a hold of me. I will get back to you with my e-mail address.

Read the basics in the maual and it is fairly easy from there.

Having previously owned a high-end music store, I have had many effects form eventide to ? I looked and looked for a unit like this when I decided to start playing again. Although, the sound is not the best, I would say it is the best of any multi-effect floorboards. As with any multi effect unit, when you cram so many into one, you lose variuos components of tone.

No problems yet. It is built like a tank. We'll see...

Dunno

This unit is used for blues/classic rock. I have played for about 17 years and have had EVERY guitar/amp/effect known! The only thing I would change on this is the ac power cord. I wish it had the 3=prong removable style (like a marshall)I just do not care for the big bulky wal wart type ac. I love the cool scrolling LCD panel.

Well, I just bought it today, and you know, I've read some other guy's comments on the ease of use, and I disagree. This unit is not that complicated. Very easy to use. It will take you about an hour to fully understand this piece.

I am using an Epiphone Les Paul Standard guitar and Ibanez amp. These effects are all nothing, untill you work on them. They don't sound too good, but when you work on the patches and on the different options, they sound pretty good.

I don't know yet. I heard that this piece is unbrekable, and very good on stage.

Never used it.

I play mostrly classic rock, and rock. I compared this unit to the Zoom GFX-4. I'd say that Boss is better. One major reason. The Zoom has all those knobs, which when u turn and make in one position to sound good for one effect, u have to change those knobs again, for the other effect. That makes it very difficult to work with. I'd say that Boss is pretty good for gigs, and very reliable.

With so many presets, you're sure to find a few that make you smile. However to get the thing to sound better, you've got to get in a tweak the settings. It's not as easy as grabbing a few knobs a twisting, but when you take the time to learn it, you can get around pretty fast. So - as far as a a multi effect stomp box, it's a 9.

I play strats and teles through Fender, Marshall and Dr Z amps. All amps are tubes.

Sound's vary from type to type.

The distortions and pre amps are strong, lots of variety. An incredible amount of variety. You can switch between a pretty convincing Fender to a Marshall to a Vox. But none of the sounds are perfect. Very good, but not awesome.

Chorus, phase, flanger are great.

Wah wah sucks. I always use an external wah when I take this out.

Delays sound fine if the parameters work for you. I find them limiting and end up often bring along my memory man.

Reverbs are perfectly fine, as long as you;re not trying for a spring reverb sound.

Synth sounds are interesting, you might use them, maybe not.

For $350, I don't expect perfect sounds, and it about meets my expectations. Many very good sounds in this, some pretty bad ones. Learning to tweak it helps, but doesn't solve all the problems.

Here is where I disagree with many of the other postings. Yes - it is built like a truck, but...

This thing is a computer running software. I used to use it a lot, and have had it freeze, or go whacko on me maybe 4 or 5 times in the last 18 months. Each time I had to power it down and restart it. The problem ALWAYS goes away, but having this happen at a wrong time would be a disaster.

This is a great box if you need a large variety of sounds. I played in this variety band doing covers for a while and it worked great for that. I find myslef frustrated trying to use it in the blues band I am now in. Recently I bought a Prescription Electronic Germ and Vibe unit and now use those two effects along with my memory man and cry baby instead of the GT-3. Of course, the GT-3 costs half what those 4 stomp boxes cost alone. The GT-3 offers a huge number of effects and options those 4 effects don't. But ya know what? I'm selling my GT-3. It's good. Maybe great. But is not a "10" in anything it does. If you are on a budget, or need a wide variety of sounds, this is a good box. If you are after a few killer sounds, you're probably better off picking up the "best of breed" individual boxes and putting something together yourself.

I only bought mine yesterday and already i'm blown away by it's possibilities. At first it may seem a little hard to handle the patches and everything, especially for an analog die-hard like me, but in about an hour I got the hang of it, and because it's very consequent in handling the parameters it's quite easy to use.
Editing the patches is simple, because the parameters are the same as the ol' boss stompboxes.
The manual sucks. It has all information in it, that's true; but explanations for newcomers in digiland -like me- are way to short. The unit itself is so easy to handle that the manual is a nice extra though.

I use it in the only way not stated in the manual (thanx Viggi!), namely in the effects loop. I own a 'character' tube amp, a Bedrock BC 50, which has a very distinct all tube sound, which I will not do without, although the manual doesn't say anything about this the results are great. (But turn off GT-3's pre-amp!!!) In fact, I chose between the Korg AX1000/1500G and the GT-3 based on the possibility to use it in the loop, which is not possible with the Korg.

Even then: i'm impressed with the amp-simulations. I programmed some patches for rehearsal so i won't have to take all 60 pounds of bedrock with me but just the gt-3.

The presets are pretty good, though they need some tweaking to get them right for your amp.


I don't want to sound like my favorite artists; i like to sound like me.

To me, all effects seem to have a great quality, although i did not use the dist/od's so far. I just found out that the humanizer is a better wah then the built in wah, if you assign it to the exp. pedal and make it sound from u to a (uah-uah). The wah is great for funk, but a bit of a shy wah, compared to my Morley PWA I which is shy compared to a Cry-Baby.

No Doubt. Boss.

Not needed so far. I presume first time we have contact is when the memory battery runs out. (Anyone had this yet?).

I play rock, funk, etc. In my own band and some party/coverbands.

This unit takes a long time two tweak. It took me about 2 weeks and
reading the manual about 10 times. After that It wasn't so bad

This unit is not very tube amp friendly until you tame it. I was very discouraged at this unit at first because I thought it sucked. Then someone told me it only works well with a chorus amp. I am not trading a tube amp for a chorus amp so I stuck a MT-2 in the GT-3 OD/DS effects loop and then tweaked with the Noise Reduction and EQ'd it and messed with the other effects and this thing has more balls coming from a 50 tube than a staight 100 tube. Go figure.

Probably could drive over the thing and it still would work

Never used them

Good unit. It takes a lot of serious tweaking. I mean serious. Once you figure it out it got balls.

Difficult to know how you could make something this comprehensive any easier to edit without losing flexibility - Roland gear is pretty well thought out in both the audio and user interface. The Quick Edit and Easy Edit modes are pretty straightforward, with full edit giving lots of control if you want it

There's a really important issue that needs to be sorted out here - why do some reviewers here think the distortion is great, while others say it's crap? The answer is in the Speaker Simulator. On the GT5, you can switch the speaker simulator on and off independently of the preamp - but in the GT3, Roland have tried to be clever by making it automatically switch on if you set 'Your Setting' to 'Line' in Utility, and off for the rest. The speaker simulator is CRUCIAL in taming the fizzy top end of the distortions/preamps and making them sound good - so make sure 'Your Setting' is set to 'Line(Headphones), even when you're using an amp. Like some others here I'm using the GT3 straight into the power amp of a Hot Rod Deville, and with the speaker sim on, the preamp/distortions sound very good indeed. Slightly more tricky is using the OD/DS - best to leave the Preamp on a clean setting - if you switch it off, you can't use the speaker sim. This whole thing is just bad planning by Roland - the GT5 system was fine, so why change it? Also, what happened to the cool backwards delay from the GT5? - great for 'Are you experienced?' live - and they've lost 'direct level' in the delay effect so you can't turn it down and have delay only, which was great for putting the TV through to mess up the lip synch! Having said all this, it's still the best multieffect I've tried/owned - the BPM feature is great - but why didn't they give the option of MIDI sync, so you could play the Auto Riff etc in time with your drum machine/sequencer? The wah is a bit weedy, but can be beefed up by assigning the pedal to control both wah and EQ simultaneously - boost the high EQ and cut the bass as you push the pedal forward, and vice-versa back - takes a bit of programming, but it's worth it. The Line 6 Pod is better for direct recording or with a PA for straight rock sounds, but the GT3 is the best for use with an amp and for exploring some really wierd stuff - the footpedal can be assigned to control virtually any parameter, so you can do whammy wah type dives, Haitian Divorce talkbox, you name it. The guitar synth works as well as any MIDI system I've tried if you set it up properly (though it's only monophonic) - any you can control the filter from the footpedal for some great synthy noises. Improvements? - more realistic amp models/cabs for direct recording, like Pod (proper software modelling, not just a bit of filtering), and 1.8 seconds delay time is a bit mean - RAM is cheap, so how about an expansion slot for more delay memory so you could do long loops/sound on sound(like the Line 6 delay modeler), MIDI sync etc. Expect it on the GT7...

Tough - dropped the GT5 onto concrete - no problems - only thing I don't like is the little plastic Output Level knob at the back, which looks a bit vulnerable. Why didn't they just put it in the Utility menu?

Dealt with Roland UK at Swansea, and they're very helpful - put a new board in my GT5 for nothing when I complained of Digital Grunge (didn't cure it, I just got used to it in the end). They also helped with SysEx documentation - it's non standard, if you're interested, so you can't edit the GT from Cubase/Logic, even if you want to.

For my money, there's nothing better out there yet - Zoom have improved lately with the GFX8, though it still loses the real tone from the guitar - my strat type guitar lost all its zing, even on bypass. (Last moan, promise) - why didn't Zoom keep the great distortion from their little 9002 box? Progress means keeping the best of the old stuff and adding to it, not junking it and starting again every time. The GT3 covers more sonic ground than any other pedal, though if you play metal, you might want a Metal Zone pedal in the external loop. Incidentally, I've put some GT5 patches on our website, and I'll be putting some for the GT3 pretty soon - www.tallhat.co.uk

The pedal took a little while to get used to, but after I learned how to program it, it wasn't hard at all to use. It takes a little work to get a good sound from the pedal, but once you do get the sound you are looking for you won't be disappointed.

I am using the processor with an ibanez rg-470 with a dimarzio super distortion p/u in the brige position and a schecter scorpion through an older 5150 head and marshall valvestate cab. The effects sound great with my setup, but I've used the processor with other setups and it sounded a lot weaker. It gets a good heavy metal sound similar to deftones and soulfly...but some of the clean patches sound really good for lighter music too. The distortion could be a little better. I can't seem to get the sound of a boss metal zone pedal from it though. Most of the effects are good though....except for the synth, it responds way too slow for anything I could use it for.

It's made by boss....what else is there to say.

Never dealt with boss directly.

I play mostly new metal, but also some rock and punk. The pedal sounds good for what I need it for. I've been playing for 5 years and have owned a boss me-30, digitech rp2000 and many stomp boxes. This is by far the best I've used. I wish the wah sounded more like a crybaby but it sounds good enough. Also, I wish the synth was more powerful so that I could use it for faster leads, but I guess if I want that I'm going to have to invest in one of the roland synths. Overall, it's a really good pedal for the money.

At first it is hard to get the right settings for your equipment but after a while it's seems pretty straightforward to edit patches. Also
the factory presets are OK but U must eq heavily to get the sound you want. The manual is pretty basic. Roland should've done a better job with that.

I use a Ibanez S470 throught to the GT-3 then plugged into Effects Return of my Peavey Studio Pro 112 (This setup gets the best out of the COSM amp simulations). At first, the GT-3 was noisy but you must spend time on it Eq'ing and adjusting the noise reduction to control it. Overall it is a quiet unit. AFter reading about COSM and it's capabilities, I couldn't wait to hear Em, and at first - I didn't really like them. I was a bit disappointed with the COSM as it lacked the punch and drive of a real amp but I didn't give up, I spent time tweaking, Eq'ing etc and finally I could get the sound I wanted. With the Metal 5150 preamp I was able to get a similar Van Halen sound after a week of tweaking. When I got the sound I wanted - it was awesome. The beauty of the GT-3 is that U can run the Boss analogue distortions into the digital preamps which gives U endless opportunities. I seemed to love the GT-3 more and more once I've learned how to get the best sounds out of it. Plus it's great for direct guitar recording - top quality. Apart from the Distortions and the Preamp Sims, the other effects are excellent. That's what I expect from Boss, great chorus, delay, reverb, flanger, comp - etc (The Wah could be better but U can't always win). 32 top quality Boss effects in one blue box - what more do you want. All I can say is that if your a guitarist, want all the Boss effects in one sturdy unit and U want to emulate all your favorite guitarists sounds, then get this.

It is made of metal, solid as a rock.

Never dealth with the company.

I play mainly metal and the Boss provides really good distortions sounds. AFter 15 years of playing, I think I've found the unit to meet all my needs. If it was stolen, I'll buy another one. The GT-3 rocks!

Ok, this is my second review of this thing. I just wanted to add my opinion after i've had a while to get to know the thing. First off I can't believe anyone would say the high gain tones suck, this thing SMOKES!!! I think the problem that people are running into is that they are not setting it up right. I've had the best luck using one of the clean amp sims such as the fender, roland, or marshall with one of the metal stomp boxes. And of course judicious EQing. With this I have one of the heaviest and warmest sounds I have ever heard. I use an ESP MII with EMG's in it through either a Mesa mark II or straight through a PA or headphones. It is also very important to run it through your effects loop of your amp and have the global settings set up right. When I first got it I plugged it straight through the front of my amp and it sounded bad at best. I also think most all the effects sound really good, some even awesome. I do agree that some of the mid gain sounds lack a certain amount of body and sizzle to them, but those sounds are not my cup of tea so maybe if you screwed with them you would also be able to get a great sound. The clean sounds to me are awesome, the presets for these sound great and i've came up with some of my own that give me warm fuzzy feelings. Enough said this thing kicks ass.

seems fine so far, i've never had a problem with a boss product before.

never needed it.

To me for the price you pay, this is hands down the best thing on the market. The digitech and zoom products don't even come close(someone actually said his zoom 505 sounded better, are you kidding me). And I really don't think that you are going to get a much better unit even if you spend a hell of a lot more. I've played through more expensive units, and while some do certain things a little better you just can't beat the bang for the buck here.

it can be figured out. has anyone found the rosetta stone to the manual. the manual is horrible.

here is the deal. boss had to keep up with the jones' in regard to amp simulating. every preset from the factory uses the preamp sim. i find the processor to lag and 'muddy up.' when i turned this feature off it got better and was at a usable/functional worthy piece. come of the clean sounds are good but the distortion connoisseurs will be disappointed. the nat/vintage/turbo overdrive is cool and the modulators are solid - not rocktron quality but acceptable. NOTE: turn off the preamp option.

fucking BURLY. you could drop it off the empire state building.

probably pretty good. been in business for a while...got to be doing something right.

i guess there is someone out there who this is for...not me. its gonna be returned.

I had the Boss ME6, which I loved! Easy to use, great sounds, not too many features. The GT3 I bought when my ME6 took a shit. Well, for a layman who wants to play guitar with minimal effort, this thing is a fricken UNIX server! Too many things to configure. You may as well be a keyboard player.

I used this with 2 setups. One was my 68 Fender Bassman head and a 2-12 cab, and the other was my Crate TV50H all tube head through a Marshall 4-10. Both were SOOOOPER thin! Not very full in the spectrum. Sounds OK plugged into your console at home, but live with a band through an amp is Thinsville USA!

Being in a metal case this is it's most redeeming quality. All pedals should be made of metal! Especially when you have someone the size of Leslie West or Bubba Blues steppin on one. All sounds were static and it never failed. This is definitely a BOSS feature!

Never had to.

I play everything from punk, blues, reggae, rock, metal, pop, progressive, Frank and Dino, ETC, so I thought it would be perfect. So many sounds and configurability. But when you need to change a sound on the fly between songs, might as well get the manual out. I've gone back to pedals. Being a lead singer, it's easier to just program a patch with everything on it, and I thought this unit would be better than the ME6. It's not. Bring that thing back! It sounded better for some reason. Boss products are great. But I think when you run your tone through somehting that digital, thinness sets in.

On a scale of 1-10, 10 being an MXR Phase 90 (one knob), this is a 4...That's not to say it can't be figured out, but it will take some work if you don't want to settle for the presets...The best way to do this is to dissect the parameters of any preset in a hands on manner as you read the manual...

I'm sure most will agree that in a direct recording situation, it's not too hard to get a decent sound out of this unit, regardless of what style you are interested in...I've heard a lot of kavetching that it sucks for live situations, but if you use it from the "pedalbaord" perspective of enhancing/embellishing your guitar and amp's original sound (there's no substitute for a good tube amp) it's not a bad deal...In a live situation, I would recommend nixing the preamps and distortions with the possible exception of using one at a light/minimal setting for solo boosting...The wah pedal is definitely not a Crybaby, but as a "light" wah, it's actually pretty good...the "timing" effects (chorus, delay, flanging, etc) are more than adequate, and if you manipulate the settings enough, you can come pretty damn close to mimicking vintage/retro sounds...

It's sturdy enough...Just don't take a sledgehammer to it when/if you get frustrated trying to program it or spill beer on it at a gig...I did read that there is an internal battery that stores all the programming info...What happen's when that goes?.. How easy/difficult will it be to take tare of?

I'll find the answer to this one soon enough I'm sure

I play two styles, R&B/Soul (Stevie Wonder, Sade, EW&F, Marvin Gaye), and Metal (Poppa Roach, Tool, Slipknot, Metallica)...Even though I have considered my self a "purist" (i.e. guitar, tube amp with great tone, killer distortion, a touch of reverb, and as few effects as possible), this was still a good deal for me...The Roto-Vibe and Wah (essentials) alone would cost as much as this unit, and I still wouldn't have the convenience of an onstage tuner, a volume pedal, on board EQing and reverb (I haven't really used these, but they are nice to have just in case), the delay/echo effects that although aren't needed too often in R&B, come in handy for stuff like Roach or Incubus, a power supply, or the convenience of not having to deal with connector cables going bad...In short, I'm barely tapping the potential of this unit and it's STILL a good deal for me to have ...My only complaint is that the effects themselves are not quite the same as the 70's vintage ones (I may still go back to my Crybaby), but the other conveniences make up for it...

It is very easy to get your basic distortions and everything else out of it. But once you really start messing aroung with it there is so much more that you can do. Especially if you run it to 2 different amps (thats where the fun starts.) THe editing patches are prertty straight forward; press the button you want and edit. The manual explains everyhting but I just like figuring it out for myself.

I am using and old crate turbo valve and the tubes are busted so it kind of sucks. But at a show I ran it through a crate gx12000h, and it rock. The sound was very rich and had great lows for rythm and solos sounded great. I love the fact it has eddie van halens sound in it. With some tweaking (depending on what amp you are using) u can make it sound great. I think all around every effect sounds great, whether running it through a small 15 watt or a big 120 watt.

I ve only had it for about 6 months, and havent had problems so far. The case is sturdy and metal so I think it can take some destruction.

??????????

I am a punk rocker but I play metal, classic, just about everything and it has everything I want. I have been playing for about 3 years and once I get a reliable amp I think I won't need anything else. Until 3 months later and I see somethin else. If it was stolen and I had the money I would defienlty buy another. It rawks.

The problem with rating the GT-3 for ease of use is that some people will find it incredibly easy to use, while others will just shake their heads and grunt.

It is going to take some time and effort before fully understanding this box. You might think you don't need to read the manual, but you'd be wrong. It also helps to dissect the presets ("so that's how you make a whammy effect"), experiment, read any FAQs you can find on mailing lists, and repeat all the following steps.

Setting this thing up is one of the things which tends to trip people up. It isn't really designed to be plugged into the front of an amp, but works much better into the return of an effects loop or a PA or a full range amp such as a keyboard amp or Tech 21 power driver.

However, once you know what you are doing, programming can be quick and efficient. The layout of the GT-3 is pretty straightforward. There are several buttons marked with the name of a type of effect. Pressing one will take you to the menu for that effect, pressing a second time will turn it on or off. Menus are not embedded very deep.

One of the features which greatly simplifies programming this device is the ability to choose several presets for each effect. For example, on the screen which turns the equalizer on or off, you can also choose several settings with names like FAT LEAD, CUTTING 2, POWER METAL, TIGHT BOTTOM, etc. Once you have found a sound that is close to what you want, you can further tweak the parameters.

The manual seems to be fairly accurate, but needs to go into more detail in certain instances. For example, it doesn't do the best job of explaining assigning effect parameters to the control, expression, or "Virtual" pedals.

The COSM preamps generally sound good, and generally sound like the class of amplifier they attempt to model. There are not as many models offered on the GT-3 as on the POD, and the simulations are probably not as accurate. However, the GT-3's direct recording sound is still quite useful.

There are 12 distortions available which can be used in conjunction with the preamps. The preamps react differently to the different distortions. Sometimes the distortions can add that necessary extra punch and bite, but they can just as easily sound muddy or like an overloaded transistor radio. Also, when using a heavy distortion with a very high gain preamp, the treble seems to fade out after the initial attack. Of course, if you don't like any of the factory distortions, you can always stick your faves in the external loop.

The options on the effects can be overwhelming, but in many cases these parameters can noticeably improve the sound. For example, the chorus, delay, and reverb all have a parameter to cut high frequencies of the delayed signal. In the case of the delay, this can be used to simulate analog delay. In the case of the reverb, this helps to limit any harshness which might occur at the tail end of reverberation.

Another feature which helps to improve the sound is that any effect can be placed anywhere in the chain. In some instances, the wah sounds better when placed before the distortion, in others it sounds better post-distortion. Tremolo can be placed at the end of the chain for a "gating" effect, or up front for a more mellow sound.

Standard effects are very good. The chorus can do anything from jangly to univibe to ultra-lush (PLUS it's not grouped in with all the other MOD effects so you can use it at any time). With its 4 modes (4/8/12 stage and Bi-Phase) the phaser can go from wedding-band ballads to super-plush funk.

Then there are the stranger effects - Guitar synth, humanizer, auto-riff, slicer. The guitar synth does provide for some good sounds, but the tracking is slow and inaccurate. It performs acceptably for slow melodies, like a cheesy new wave riff or one of the synth leads from "Who's Next", but it won't turn budding Yngwies into Keith Emerson. The humanizer is similar to the wah/auto-wah, except that you can choose between 5 vowel sounds or set it to change randomly. The auto-riff sounds artificial, but has its uses - for example, you could program in a sequenced riff to be looped, and then "overdub" sounds over that. The slicer is similar to a deep square-wave tremolo, except you can specify the cuts in volume to happen on a set pattern.

Not only does the GT-3 sound great with electric guitar, but with an electric acoustic as well. There is an acoustic guitar preamp setting, an anti-feedback circuit with search function, and 2x2 chorus. I haven't played my acoustic loud enough to properly evaluate the anti-feedback, but the 2x2 chorus sounds very nice and natural.

I've had mine for two years with no problems, although I haven't put it through the same kind of abuse others have (I've heard tales of the GT-3 coming back after having been run over or flooded)

I play quite a few different styles, and with the GT-3 I can get all sorts of tones - Classic rock, blues, surf, country, hard rock, psychedelic, metal, electronic, jazz, funk, pop, whatever.

The GT-3 has a lot of great features like BPM (sync rate of effects to rate of song), the external loop, able to add additional control or expression pedals, ability to save settings for single effect, and the ability to customize manual mode. I think it would be nice if it had a digital output.

At the time I bought it (2 years ago), there was not really anything comparable. Even with the new stuff which has come out since, I would probably still choose the GT-3.

This pedal is great to faff around with the presets, but a bit
of a arse to create a sound from nothing. I have made a Steve Vai
sound while playing along to it and got it spot on. The synth effect
is not too hot for chords or moderate speed lead riffs. Editing patches is not too bad either, could be slightly easier but im not too fussy about that.

I use the Gt3 with a couple of guitars: My Jackson PS4, Ibanez RG7420 plugged straight into the back of any amp i use. The effects i have messed with are fantastic. I am a heavy distortion user, but i even use slight overdrive on a couple of my songs in my band. i hate chorus on any effects, they should leave this effect off in my opinion.

I can depend on this piece of equipment 100% (more than my guitars). i would go on stage without a back up, but i would take one or two other of my guitars because i dont trust them as much as the GT3

i dont know how the coustomer support is cos they have not gone wrong at all.

i play heavy/ clean music in my band and this really stands up to the stuff i play. i have been playing for ages... about 9 years (im 18). For the price (#300) i may not get them straight away cos they are so expensive,for a student who has no money. Maybe if i got a job i would buy them or maybe a roland effects board. i hate the weight of it, is so heavy taking around college and to band practices. i wish it had a better pitch shift and synth effect (cos it is kinda poo) I dont think it helps me write music, because i can come up with a riff while waiting for the bus without my guitar. i have no problem writing music, so this isnt an aid for writing. It is just there to use when i want.

this unit is excellent and it is very easy to use... but u have to read the manual... is very easy to create a patch believe me!

i haven't try in a good amp this unit jet, but in headphones it sounds really really cool!!! its perfect and it has an stereophinic ambient that makes it very cool... im copying the efects of david gilmour!!! i just love the sound!

maybe in a gig ill use another distortion, but all the other efects are just perfect!! and if you want to feel more confortable, youll have to buy another ctrl pedal or maybe two, and another expresion pedal...

i dont want to deal with them cause i dont want my gt-3 stop working hehehe mmmmm and im from mexico.,.. maybe it will take a lot of time if i ever have to try a repair...

i love to play music like pink floyd and radiohead... so i think this gt3 is perfect for me... i wish it had a better distortion but its ok...

The unit is very versatile there for a lot of tweaking is needed to get one's own tone. Get use to pushing buttons & turning the data wheel. It's simple really, just find your sound & push the 'write' button twice. Patches can be easily named & moved around to any of the 140 locations (4 patched in each bank). There is a slight drop between switching banks but flawless btwn patches. Delay & reverb does not carry over from patch to patch. Deep editing is asking for a migraine headache but there's no need being that general editing is quite easy. The manual is straight forward & easy to understand.

Influences range from SRV, Eric Johnson & Metal. Ibanez RG 450's w/ Duncan & Dimarzio pickups, Fender Am. stnd & Strat Plus guitars. I've owned all the cheap amps & some good ones: JCM 900 combo, Mesa Boogie Mark5, JC120 & Fender 65 Reverb Deluxe. Now, no processor can emulate a well miked & recorded amp but the GT3 does a damn good job! The sound is polished, pristine & very CLEAR. Excellent for recording direct,24 bit(which is what I do).There's ambience but a little warmth wouldn't hurt. It's all here: presets range from Marshall(modern & vintage), Soldano, Twin, Vox, Matchless, 5150 & acoustic. Nearly every effect Boss makes is in this unit making it an excellent value! (think of it, 4 pedals would run nearly $400, not near the price of the GT3)The unit can sound very orignal or close your favorites. Some effects are corny & needless, like the Autoriff & Guitar Synth. My favorites are the extreme metal distortions & the really clean. The compression is ok. Awesome stereo w/ doubling delay or/and chorus. Delays are good & long. 4 phaser settings.The noise gate works well. The unit can sound like crap if the global setting is left at combo, stack, etc. but things start happening when changed to 'headphones' (don't ask me why).

Good.

Never dealt w/ support.

I've been a bedroom player for 15 years now & occasional sit in for guys on gigs. Recording direct is my thing. The salesman & I are on 1st name basis due to the fact I hang out & play so much. The POD is my next purchase but the two are completely different. Simply stated, the GT3 inspires me to play all my influences & be creative.

Well... It's got these handy little buttons on the front that link directly to the effect type in question, and a data wheel. This is alright for studio/eventide veterans, but us guitarists prefer knobs. Before I got it I used to spend hours in front of my amp (a peavey blazer 158 from the transtube range) tweaking the knobs to get just the right sounds; with the Boss it takes days of endless twiddling to get anything descent. This is especially true when fiddling with distortion or gainy amp sims. All the rest are fairly easy to use.
It is so very important to read the manual before even taking it out of the polythene bag... You could almost end up taking it back if you don't (particularly the yanks with no staying power). This is particularly true with regard to setting the amp's tone controls to 0/10/0 (bass/mid/high). And then what happens with an amp that only has two or one tone control(s)? Not good. Also the noise surpressor is very hard to get to grips with, noisy patches galore.

I use the GT-3 with an Ibanez JS100 with a tone zone in the bridge and a FRED in the neck. For distortion, it is best only to use the tone zone, due to the vast quantity of mud that can be achieved with anything else. For an example sound, try almost every solo on Joe Satriani's Engines of Creation album... I'm not saying it's a bad sound, but I don't think I could pull it off successfully. I also use this setup through a Peavey Blazer 158, which on it's own is very tinny and piercing, so the mud quantities are very suprising. On setting up high gain amp sims, the expected noise is acceptable, but there are also other interfering noises that make for unpleasant playing. For this reason my main distortion sounds are without amp sims, so the od/dist section is used greatly, and mind you, these require an awful lot of tweaking to sound good. For clean sounds, there is only one choice - that is the Clean Twin sim - killer creamy over drive when set high, especially when using the neck pickup on my Ibanez. This makes for a very versatile sound. This means I only need one clean patch. This I suppose is the only saving grace where sound quality is concerned.

This thing is built better than 15 Volvos put together. I gig without a backup all the time. It's had so many things dropped on it- the only scars it has are on the display from where I dropped my glass slide on it (incidentally I have scars from that episode - for this reason always buy brass!!!!)

I am a registered boss/roland user, and the confirmation came through the post within 3 days. Other than that, I've never had to deal with them.

Alright, but not sparkling. What were they thinking when the programmed the processor with that wah? Had to buy a Bad Horsie to get anything descent with wah in it. I usually play anything Steve Vai or Joe Satriani. Naturally, it follows that I am a tone freak with fast fingers (typed this report in 5 mins!)If you know how to use it, fine. But if you're starting out, get a collection of stomp boxes started, they're cheaper and more versatile. Some people will have to learn the hard way, like me. I am hoping to retire it and my amp soon in favor of a Line6 Flextone II XL.

*** READ THIS REVIEW FOR HELP GETTING GREAT DISTORTION SOUNDS FROM YOUR GT-3 ***. As for ease of use I'm going to say this time around, having owned the GT-3 for 6 months now, that it depends. For example, it is fairly easy to get decent clean sounds since most people don't tend to be as picky as in the case of distortion. In the case of distortion, it seems that there are so many endless variations that people may try to achieve, that perhaps even the best processor ever to be made will always leave some people unsatisfied. I believe that just as any pro uses various tools to create a unique "trademark" sound for his or herself, we too can create the same using the many tools we have in one unit- namely, the Boss GT-3. The trick is not so much in knowing how to use the GT-3, rather in knowing how to use various tools to get great sounds. Therefore, for the average user, I do not believe it it easy for many people to get great sounds, even though they are in the GT-3. Lastly, the manual is so sparse on this subject, that I have to wonder how much business is lost by Roland simply because they have failed to aid users in a much more specific manner.

Currently, I am playing a Les Paul Classic with a Lonestar Strat as a backup, into the GT-3, and then going from there into the EFX return of either a 30 watt Marshall, or a Peavey Classic 50. As with any processor that increase gain, the GT-3 is not noiseless. However, the noise gate works extremely well. My opiniopn is that the GT-3 gives us the capacity to approximate many of the sounds of popular artists, past and present, as well as the ability to create our own distinct sounds. I have effectively done both. Compared to what I've seen availible in its pricerange, my opinion is that the GT-3 is unbeatable. Though I do have a small amount of my own qwabbles with the unit, which I'd rather not disclose again here.

I never feel safe in front of 500 people with nothing between me and the fruit and vegetables in their hands except a computer. Do you? (However, sometimes that's just tough-titties, isn't it?) Generally there's no question that it's solid and well built.

I couldn't care less.

The GT-3 is a wonderful and amazing unit. I feel that it has rekindled my desire to play the guitar. I feel that I can get perhaps 90 percent of the sounds I'm after. The trick is in knowing how to get good sounds in the first place, and then applying that knowledge to the GT-3. If any of you would like to share my theories concerning distortions and tones which Ive learned over the years, I am now putting together a document, free for the asking. email me at: sauceydog_2000@yahoo.com (don't forget that underscore), and I'll send you a text document. I hope to help people at least understand some basic principles in understanding ways to get better tones from the GT-3. If I lost it, I'd buy no other!!!

The Dialog box for this section asks " How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?" The best way I found was to unplug it. I have never been so dissapointed in a piece of gear in my life besides an ART piece (guitar processor) This thing does have some nice sounding preamps built in but they sound nothing like what they are labeled. If a 5150 sounded like that Eddie would shoot himself in the head. But more on this later. It is easy to use, Trust me , I have even read the manual to make sure I was doing everything correctly. Fairly straight forward. It s the typical , push effect button, scroll through parameters with left and right buttons and set value with wheel. Easy

I tried a dozen combinations from 150.00 headphones to My Marshall 2550 direct, also in return of loop, I tried a stereo tube power amp direct into my 4x12, I tried a QSC power amp into my 4x12, Through PA cabinets, Into my Mixer then into headphones and all this with a half dozen guitars and numerous cable checks in between. I almost actually believe there is something wrong with this thing. Some of the cleaner settings sound real good with an excellent chorus but the majority of the sounds are so bad that they would have to improve just to suck. The EQ was all wacked out, Horrible tinny sound with overly processed sound. 3 of 4 presets are totally useless. I tried to build a usefull preset but could not get past the distortion sounds. The nice clean sounds and chorus/reverb/delays are not worth the asking price. It is full of the gimmick sounds that the engineers at Roland think we get off on. Crap Crap and more Crap. The acoustic setting are laughable. "Shrill" comes to mind.

I'm sure it will be reliable and sound consistently bad for years to come.

I don't think anyone has ever needed Boss/Roland for customer service. It does not generally break unless you really try.

Thank God I bought this from a mail order house and can return it. I am absolutely unsatisfied. After 20 years of playing I know a good guitar sound when I hear it and this isn't it. Yes, some parts of it have their strengths but as a all-in-one processor it really misses the mark . I would much rather use my Sterile sounding Line 6 AX2 than this GT-3. I would strongly urge anyone who is considering this piece to TRY IT FIRST!

Yes, it is quite easy to operate and get sound out of it, but you get confused to what exactly you want to hear. Editing patches is easy and the manual says the basics. no upgrades known.

I use it with a custom made strat and it is Ok, although the amp modeling and pickup simulator isn't so convincing. Some fx have not as many parameters as i'd like... I usually use it throught a Stack Marsall loaded with 4 12'' spkrs. Its not silent but its not very noisy to. The exp pedal is not very accurate. The distortions are not so good and I feel that they are "week". some effects are there just to impress and have no use at all (such as auto riff). I love that there's a sub eq and a short delay! The patches have no equal output and I have to sound check more than an hour to get a sound that doesnt freak the sound man....! And some presets are only for feedback and nothing else!

Yes the only sure thing is that it is very relieable and never need a backup. I used boss pedals for more than 10 years and never had a problem.

I play in a band that plays almost anything from jazz and blues to drum and Bass and folk - traditional music. I think that if you spent a certain amount of hours on it and memorize 340 presets you maybe be able to play almost anything... I sold the pedals i owned after buying this baby... If it was stolen or lost probably i 'd buy something else as it is in a category with many competitors. I bought it as it was a good deal. As for making music with it i dont recomend because you get too confused trying to control the sounds and you forget what you originally wanted to play.
I suppose I have a love/hate relationship with it!

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Took a while to learn everything. terrible in live situations when you have to tweak a patch... i fould it painfully slow. the manual isn't terrible but not perfect... I used it on my computer with the midid cable so thumbs up there

Fender Fat>Carvin SX100D (no cabs)
Nice sounds. after tweaking my amp and guitar a bit i got some
awesome clean 'coustick sounds to driving metal distortions. Good pickup simulator for more twangy sounds.

I would not go to a gig unless i tested the volumes and eqing 10 times. it's suprising the sound different on headphones and you amp :)

Boss products break?

Good pedal. play around with it before you commit. I would consider a korg ax1000g too... nice little thing.

It's very easy to get a great sound out of the GT-3 after browsing through the manual. It's very logical and I was creating patches within 30 minutes of setting it up. the manual is typically BOSS and it really isn't that great..but it'll get you into the basics and by them you'll rarely need to refer to it.

My unit has the 1.01 software revision and I believe that there is a version 2.0 out but I don't know what new features it offers or which bugs, if any, it addresses

I am using several different guitars (all Carvin) and a Peavey Bandit Transture 100 watt amp with the SX-112 extention speaker about 7 feet away from the amp to give me a big sound.

There is little, if any, noise from the GT-3. It's a quiet unit. The factory effects patches are pretty nice but I really wasn't thrilled until I tweaked some and made up my own and put them in one bank. I set a Distortion (based upon the Matchless Lead 18-1 patch)and A chorus, a clean and a phaser patch (based upon the Black Panel patch 26-3) These are all minimal effect sounds as i am not a big fan of heavy effects...they just give me a nice warm realistic clean amp sound. These are just right for backing up my vocals since I am a soloist and don't have to compete with other instruments to be heard.

I have not tried to emulate other artist's sounds but I am sure that you can get really close to whatever sound you are looking for as long as you are willing to spend some time tweaking the unit.

The distortion sounds are killer and you don't have to tweak much to get a great sound. I have a few GS and XG MIDI modules hooked to my computer's MIDI OUT and i like to jam to sequences. The dirty sounds on the unit will cut through anything and always sound good to my ears.

The GT-3 has a metal chassis so it is pretty much bulletproof. It's not waterproof though so I wouldn't wanna spill any liquid on it.

I feel confident using this without a backup unit..if it ever did go out on me it would be easy to just plug into my amp and get a decent sound anyway.

never had to deal with service but I imagine it would be decent just because of the name BOSS..they make good stuff

I play rock, metal, jazz, blues, country and ballads and it handles all the sounds I need very well.

I have been playing for 30+ years and have a lot of different amps and guitars, most of which is name brands like Peavey, Carvin, Roland, Yamaha, Boss, Alesis, Lexicon. Tascam, etc. The GT-3 interfaces with them all very well.

If it were stolen I would have to replace it because it has the sounds i need and they are easy to access in the GT-3.

I originally was looking at the Digitech RP-2000 but after comparing the two I decided on the Boss because if offered more options.

One thing I would like to share. In my humble opinion I think that the way to get a good sound out of an electric guitar is to let the amp do the work and control the overall volume from the guitar volume control. I rarely if ever turn the volume on the guitar to 10 when using clean sounds. Keeping the volume backed off a bit cuts down on the high end of the sound spectrum and keeps the treble under control. i don't have much use for treble sound when I play. I do like to turn up to max volume on the guitar when playing dirty to get the most response from the pickups.

One thing I have noticed with all effects units is that I must keep the guitar volume on 10 to get the best sound outof the unit..I keep the volume controlled from the footpedal on the GT-3.

this trade off on technique and method is more than compensated for by the GT-3's killer sounds so I don't feel like I am sacrificing anything at all.

I plug the GT-3 into my amp's Effects Loop Return so i bypass the Peavey Bandit's preamp section and this is what Boss recommends to get a good sound...they weren't lying about that. It sounds great.

This unit, once you get the hang of it, is pretty user friendly.

I use a Fender USA Deluxe Plus Strat with a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Amp. That sounds good in the first place, but the GT-3 makes it sound so much better. Though everything has it's flaws, the GT-3 could be better in certain areas, like everything in it's own way. But all in all, this thing ROCKS!!!

As i'm typing this, I've had it 2 days, But it's BOSS and it's built BOSS tough, it's great.

I've never had the pleasure...

Overall, this is an awesome Multi-effects unit, and at a darn good price for what it has. I do wish it had a few more effects, like the reverse and hold on the DD-5, but it's an incredible Value.

This is basically an update to my other reviews.

I think that generally, the sound quality of this unit beats everything else out there, hands-down. My friend has that Pod thing, but to me the pod is not as good, is shaped in the image of an ass-print, and they make you buy their stupid pedalboard separately, which uses ethernet wire instead of a midi cable, which would have allowed them to create it MUCH cheaper.

I'll include this in the next section...

By now (after 4+ months), I'm so dependent on the GT-3 that I'd rather not play without it. However, I am a bit disappointed in the following apparent limitations:
- Sometimes after power-on, all the effects parameters seem to default to their minimum setting regardless of where the pedal's position is. It seems I need to tap the pedal in order for the GT-3 to synchronize with the pedal position in this case. What's really bad though, is that many of my patches use the pedal to adjust the distorton/gain, and sometimes, seemingly at random, the GT-3 cannot recognize the pedal-position upon execution of a patch change. I'll be changing patches in the middle of a song, and I have to also tap the pedal to synchronize! Poo-poo. I'm going to cal the company about this soon.

it is very easy to use. i have had mine for only about 5 days and i
can and have programmed in some real nice patches. including the fact
that when i bought mine it didn't come with a manual.

i use a fender mexican fat strat through the gt-3 into a fender
deluxe 112 plus.(i also have a metal zone and an acoustic sim. pedals
both by boss, but i don't use them much with the gt-3). the sound is amazing! it has the absolute nicest distortion, modulation, delay, reverb etc. i've ever heard on a floor unit.there is not much i can say except it is phenomonal for sound quality.

yes i feel i can depend on it because it is made of sturdy metal, plus
it is made by boss.

the only time i've dealed with was a couple days after i bought this unit. like i said already it didn't come with an owners manual when i bought it (i beieve it is the sores fault though, because it was the on the shelf model so the manual must have gotten lost somewhere in the back) but anyways i e-mailed roland and asked if they could send me one. they politely replied right away and said that they would send me one free of charge. so far i know that they are real good with customers.

this is one awesome unit. you could use it for any genre of music because of how versatile it is. i definetely suggest anyone that doesn't have try one out amd but it.

The unit is very easy to use... if you've owned it more that 90 days. I went through the manual several times to learn how to use every feature but found there's more than meets the eye. Using the control assigns can be tricky and sometimes unable to do exactly what you want. For example: assigning different parameters of one effect to different positions of the expression pedal... ARRRRRRGHH! But, how often do you want to create swelling reverb while diminishing another effect? I've owned the GT-3 for 6 months and can create a patch in a matter of minutes but to get a great sound you'll need other great equipment and a burning desire to get the right sound.

I'm currently using a Fender Telecaster through the GT-3 through a Marshall 8008 to 2 12" Custom Design speakers in a Crate GX-120/212. The Crate sounds excellent but I really like Marshall equipment. I'm definitely planning on purchasing tube amplification in the future possibly using the Marshall 8008 as a pre amp. I love the sound quality overall. The reverb, however is somewhat lacking... Sounds good but there are better reverbs out there. Smokin distortion; love the Metal1 and Turbo. Depending on where you put it in the chain will dramatically affect the sound. Compressor... ok again there is better. I've also heard higher quality units that don't sound as good but that's more than likely due to the programmer than the unit itself. Again, if you put your time in and burn for quality sound you'll get it with the GT-3. Well pleased with all the other effects. The harmonizer is very cool.

Haven't had any problems. Would not hesitate to gig without back up. I regularly back-up the data with a program called Midi-Ox. Of course that won't help with massive failure but if the unit crashed before a gig what do ya do? PLAY!

N/A

I can get any sound I need/want with this unit. I've been playing for nearly 20 years and have grown to like multiple effects. I've grown close to the GT-3 and would certainly replace it. Although I'm considering a Digitech 2120 to use in conjunction with the GT-3 because of it's abilities. Incredible value. Try to buy all these effects separate and then configure them. The Metal1 distortion is tops. I use it almost exclusively in patches with distortion but I don't play metal. The unit certainly enhances my creativity.

It's not that hard since you have a lot of options presets (really good presets). It takes a while before you be able to know how to program and stuff.

Great effects!! Works perfectly with my WOLFGANG and my amp Fender Deluxe (100W)... I have played with Zomm and Digitec Rp200 before, and they don't get even close...

I certanly can depend on it! I do use it often in gigs and the reactions are great...of course a big part of the credit goes to the WOLFGANG...

I have never needed them...

It's a good match for my style, I have a band that plays Van Halen, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani... I have been playing for almost 12 years... I love about the way I can get close to Satriani's effects with the GT-3... I would certainly recommend, specially if you have a good guitar...

I don't know, maybe this is my second or third review on this thing. I admit it's a love/hate relationship that clearly gravitates toward the love side for me. I'm in a cover band, and I'm using the GT-3 to try and emulate certain guitar sounds. Not only is this completely accomplishable, but I have been able to re-develop my own long-lost sound that I'd developed years ago from old equipment which I can no longer find. If you simply scroll through the presets, my highly biased opinion is that you'll suck. However, if you spend 725 million sleepless nights trying to get the right damned sound, you WILL find it. It seems to be one of those things where, any sound you could possibly want is in there, but really, you need a college education to know how to find it, (and I has me a college educations!). The manual has been all but useless to me, as well as many of you. The problem with the manual is that the dork(s) who wrote it, probably have college educations! (Dahh, so what's my excuse?).Therefore, they expect you to have some amount of intuition. Either that, or they were just lazy whenst they wrote it. Anyway, for intuitability, and user-friendliness, it sucks. But wait, that's not all....

The only way to make this thing sound good is to plug it into the Marshall battery-powered amp!!! (...just kidding, sorry). Actually, I use the unit through several different amp's like Marshall, Fender, and a Peavey Classic 50 2/12. For me the sound quality can come so damned close to your favorite wanker, that I can hardly justify spending any more freaking wads of cash on Marshalls and Boogies. Buy this unit, but dump your social life, (for those of you who have one). Keep in mind that the presets were developed by college punks, and therefore are completely worthless. Awful damned close to tube on alot of stuff, to my tube-ass ear. The things I am NOT willing to accept are, 1) The unit has audio drop-outs which you could measure in milliseconds, when changing from patch to patch , and which annoy me, and 2)You CANNOT use the expression pedal to change amp simulation sounds without scrolling through every amp-sim on the way to the one you want- THAT is a MAJOR drawback in my opinion. (The same holds true for the "MOD" section). So, if you're trying to program the expression pedal to gradually switch from the clean Jazz Chorus, to the Scream of a Soldano, you CAN, except you'll be trucking through all the other amp-sim's on the way there. Otherwise, you have to create two separate patches, and then the change is abrupt rather than gradual. So, the sound quality is freaking awesome (if you can find what you're after), but again, the user-friendliness sux. What would you say, an '8' maybe?

Whelp, I mean-you look at this thing, and ask yourself if they could make a more durable unit without shipping it with its own road case!

I called the company the first 2 hrs. I had the unit. My question was, "why do I hear a faint background distortion when I use some clean sounds, as well as most acoustic simulations?" The college dork tried to help, but was inadequate. The phone bill was an additional $5.00 for the month. You decide... an 'A' for effort maybe?

I play all the modern radio rock, I guess. We do stuff from "Loser" by 3-doors-down, (yes, you can nail that acoustic sound), to AC/DC, which you can also nail. Overall, I would buy no other. I've always HATED stomp boxes in any form, but needed to get cover band sounds and solve switching problems. Short of a full rack unit, this was the best deal.(Rack units are another can of worms, as many of you already know!). If you want to buy a floor-based effects processor, I highly recommend this unit over the others like Digitech- you won't be sorry. But, you have to spend alot of time getting your sounds and getting educated about HOW to get sounds- which can be a very complex subject. If it was ever lost or stolen, I'd HAVE to buy another one, because I'm too codependent on this frigging thing now!

I got the basics in the first few minutes. Its very easy to program, but no so easy to get the right sound out of it /because of the so many possibilities, tweakings and so on. But if your sound is not in there you probably still dont know what is your sound :) /.
After spending some sleepless nights tweaking it and reading the wonderful set-up series docs at the GT-3 users group website I figured out how actually its easy to use.

My setup is Washburn N2 or Samick /its a nice guitar, I just cant remember the model/ ->GT-3-> Marshall all-tube JTM615 amp or a cheap ass solid state crappy amp /I thought that its impossible to make it sound nice but GT-3 did it/. The unit itself is not noisy at all. Of'course if u're using very high gain settings on distortions or amp models u'll get noise, but when Im crankin' all the way up my Marshall I get more noise, its normal. And I cant really get the people thinking that distortions in GT-3 suck. Personally I think that they r awesome. Just need tweaking. As simple as that. U cant get decent sound without decent guitar AND amp no matter what effect u'll get. It can do every sound I ever wanted blues, hard rock, metal, even Pantera - its in u just have to find it. The only drawback is that it hasnt fx loop like GT-5.
Yeah yeah I know that amp models r not so good as the real ones but they sound good enough. And when I want the real tube distortion I just switch to my Marshall.../be honest guys, there's no modelling technology, even POD, that will sound like tube amp. If you want tube sound - its simple - Buy a tube amp./

Solid as rock. Its BOSS period.

I've never needed it. But from what I've heard they r nice and helpful guys.

Im playing just everything - hard rock, funky rock, metal, some blues, jazz, classics - u name it. Been playing already 10 years I found GT-3 one of the most versatile and nice sounding units for the price range. Good sound, versatile, solid built, reliable, good for recording, MIDI and all that just for 350 bucks. Rock on!

I found the gt-3 easy to use, but to get past the basics took me a few hours of messing with it. In a short time though I had the sounds I was happy with right up from twhere I wanted them. There are an awful lot of patches that I will never use and I wish I could figure out an easier way to jump between "banks". Very satisfied with it so far in this category.

I use this run direct to the PA, although I love the way it sounds thru my old Vibroluxes. I have a 66 and a 62, and they sound super warm with the gt-3. I run a Carvin AE185 and a Gibson ES as well as a couple of Takamine acoustic-electrics, and I am very pleased overall with the sound quality. I am using this instead of a board full of Boss pedals that I have had for 16 or more years. It is way more versatile.

Like I said I have 16 or 17 year old Boss pedals, and they have never failed, even though I played on the mud and dust tour doing outdoor concerts for a long time. The beating they took being put on airplanes and buses, and such lead me to really trust this stuff.

I play it all...rock,messianic praise/worship,jazz/blues,etc. This rig fits the bill for me. I can dial in what I need and I am pleased with the result. The longer I use it the more I like it.I have been a player since 1964 so I have used a wide variety of gear.

its really easy

distortions suck,but i run a metal zone through the effects loop,and it uses the metal zone like one of its own distortions,and it gates it PERFECLTY,ABSOLUTELY PERFECTLY

i spilled water on mine,it dried out and worked again,(dont try this)

i bought this,i tune to droppped "b",the friggin thing wont pick up a low b on the tuner,so at every single show and practice,even between songs live,i have to tune my top string by ear!!!you think if it freeking costs 300-500 dollars,it could tune anything, BUT NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!.this might just be the most annoying thing ive ever experienced since feeding back before i bought the damn thing.but if i only used this thing to gate the metal zone,then its worth it.see,you can assign the metal zone in the effects loop to diferet user presets,so when you switch to clean,it turns the gate off for ya!wich ic sweeeeeeettttt.the ten is merely for the gate

As multi-effects go this is a little bit above average for ease of use. The manual gives a good basic overview but doesn't offer any hints on how to sculpt a sound from scratch. That's probably beyond the scope of a user manual anyway.

Editing is straightforward but kind of a pain looking into the unit through the tiny LCD screen. I'm a Mac user so I haven't hooked it up to a MIDI editor as there only seems to be a PC editor out there.

I'm pretty keen on different amp and guitar sounds but I've sworn to stop short of the "audiophile" detour. I believe that a mass market amp can sound good even if it has a PCB inside. That said I do expect a certain quality level in my gear. I find the GT-3 sounds really good, with exception of the medium gain preamp sims. The low gain Twin and JC-120 sims sound quite good but they're more just an EQ curve rather than a clipping sim. The crunch and blues sims are really nasty - I'm not sure I'd ever use them, although I generally like that just breaking up sound in a real amp. The high gain sims, like the 5150, are actually not too bad. That may be because I'm not a big fan of that sound anyway - if I were more familiar with that end of the spectrum I might be more critical.

Fortunately I didn't buy the GT-3 for it's preamps as I already have a Boogie, couple of Fenders and a Marshall in the flesh, so to speak. What I did want was the effects and especially to have them programmable. None of the effects on their own are especially stellar, but when you put them in series and tweak them (especially with the foot volume pedal assigned to different parametres) you can build some really credible performance voices. They're very quiet and each offers the basics you'd expect from an equivalent stompbox. I can't stress enough the value of the synergy when you combine effects. I can get a very credible Holdsworth tone with compressor, turbo overdrive, eq and noise suppression. If you were to go out and buy the individual Boss pedals to get that sound you'd pay as much as the GT-3 is worth.

My favourite setup right now is plugging the GT-3 into the poweramp in on my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. That amp has enough low end that it really fattens up the GT-3s output. I've tried it into the guitar input on several different amps but it really sounds best into a combo poweramp.

For direct-to-PA or recording the preamp sims and speaker sims are pretty flat sounding. They would suffice for secondary rhythm parts, back in the mix, but I can't imagine using them for lead or "hooky" parts.

One of the fun things about the GT-3 is that it gives you a chance to try out some more varied amps and effects to see if you want to go there. For example, I've never played a Class A amp and was always curious about the Vox mystique. Having played the sim I know that I'd like to get a Vox amp, even though the sim is pretty lame it gets you into the neighbourhood to see if you like it.

So far so good. Over the years I've owned a fair amount of Roland and Boss gear and had no problems. The physical construction of the GT-3 suggests it will hold up equally well.

I just love guitar so I dabble at a lot of different guitar styles - probably closest to my heart is the jazz/fusion end of the spectrum. The GT-3 does a good job of recreating a lot of the tones in this area. I wouldn't recommend it to a roots player but they're unlikely to look at it anyway. I hear that a lot of the younger guys swear by their GT-3s so it seems that it works for alt rock and metal too. I've been playing for 23 years and have collected enough nice guitars and amps to pretty much the stylistic range: Strat, Tele, LP Special, LP Jr, Howard Roberts Fusion, Ibanez Jackson clone, Guild 6 string, Takamine 12 string, Heartfield DR5 bass and Fender Pro Junior, Hot Rod Deluxe, Marshall JCM600 and Boogie .50 Calibre. I bought the GT-3 because I felt like I had the basic palette covered and wanted to effects in a simple way. I really pleased with the GT-3, even though the preamps are pretty lame compared to real amps.

Use With A Washburn N4 And A Jackson Soloist Sounds Great Once I Killed The Preamp Presets Those Stink I Use This To Beef Up My Amp A Marshall 80 Watt Valvestae Just Using The EQ Chorus Delay Reverb And Compressor For That Its Great Really Thickins The Sound Seperate Patches For The N4 And The Soloist With Diffrent EQs.What Else Can I Say Its A Boss Product And That Speaks For Itself

I Dont Gig So I Wouldnt Need A Backup But If I Did I Wouldnt See The Need For Backup

Never Delt With Them

Damn Good Unit Once You Kill The Crappy Preamp Settings And Just Use The Effects

The gt-3 is slightly more complicated than my old processor (zoom 707) but took me about 2 days to master so anyone can do it i think

I play through jackson guitars and a crate blue voodoo half stack. I use a original crybaby wah on the sude because the built in wah is not adequate for me. The sound quality is outstanding , my only complaint is that the distortion has a harsh kind of hissing noise at the end of notes, but other than that it is beyond what i ever want or need.

this thing can take alot more than i can the thought of having a backup device is just absurd.

I havent dealt with boss directly

I play alternative, rock, metal style stuff and it has more than enough versatility. it is the only effects processor i have ever been happy with. I have always liked boss and i was looking at the ME-30 but dont buy it it sounds horrible , only the GT3 will do!

This is an update of my previous review, which is the veeeery first first review on this page. I've been using this thing day in and day out for almost two years. First off, the GT3 is NOT difficult to use. One thing I hadn't discovered when I first reviewed it is each of the effects has it's own set of presets. These can get you in the ballpark very quickly, and then you can tweak from there. Is this feature in the manual? I lost my manual. Don't really need it after you get the hang of this thing.

All the effects (chorus, harmonizer, delay, etc..) are great, with the only ones in question being the amp models and the distortions. I use mostly the crunch, Marshall, and Metal amp models. I find these are the best for most real world stuff. The bloom is kind of off the rose for me, though. The amp sims are sort of like xerox copy of a photo. The sounds in the GT3 are more "in" the speakers, rather than "in front" of the speakers. They also sound kind of thin (they all seem to need help from the eq section, especially in the low end). Recently I compared the GT3 amp sims to the DG Stomp, and the Stomp sounds much more present and detailed. However, the Stomp doesn't have 1/3 of the features of the GT3 which I've become addicted to. I think it's time for the GT-7, with updated amp models. And this time, how about getting a great wah sound?

Very reliable. No problems.

As I said in my first review, I'm a music director at a church, and we play everything. Loud/soft, old/new, Christian/secular. I even used the slicer once (!) on a Third Day tune and a synth sound for 80's night (Safety Dance). I need tons of versatility with my setup, and the GT3 nails almost anything I need. It's a great pedal. I just wish Boss would make their amp sims as good as Yamaha does.