Boss GT-3

Its really easy to get a good sound- you dont even need to edit it and you could still play gigs. Loads of clean and distorted tones. I thought editing was easy to start with -about 20mins to work it out. The manual is complicated and long so its best to work it out yourself- its better experience.

i used it with an Ibanez RG570, a laney 4*12 angled cab with celestion vintage 30's, and a Marshall VS100 powering it all. There is no noise AT ALL from this processor. All the effects sound fantastic- even the wierd ones. There are a few pre-programmed sounds such as "satch"-this makes it easy to get the Joe Satriani sound. The delays and choruses especially sound excellent.

Metal case, excellent warranty- well dependable. No need for a backup.

dont know.

I play loads of different styles- this suits EVERYTHING!!! It can stop you from practicing because you start fiddling around trying to get the right sound. If you are considering getting one - do it now!!!I looked around and it's easilly the best processor on the market.

I've only had my GT3 for a short while, but i've had no problem getting good sounds out of it. It's not as easy to use as a line6 pod, but it also has a lot more sounds at your disposal. I'm not saying it sounds better than a pod, however having spent time with both I think it is in the same ballpark. The manual is ok, about the best you can expect for an electronic device. Editing patches is fairly easy, no better or worse than other processors I have used. I think it is very important to try the different utility settings with your setup. When I first plugged it in my amp I wasn't impressed with the sound, however after setting the proper utility for my setup it made a world of difference.

My main setup is an ESP M-II with emg 81's in it, then into my GT-3, then into my MESA Mark II in the effects return. This setup sounds great for my playing style. I play mostly metal, mixed with some funk, blues, and surf. This processor has a sound for all of these and pretty much anything else I want to play. As far as noise there really isn't any to speak of, with the exception of the acousting simulator. That noise level is within what I consider to be a reasonable level however. The preamp simulators sound great in my opinion, I'm not saying they are a dead match for the amps they are trying to simulate but they are very close. Especially the boogie lead sound is dead on. I've noticed a few people complaining about the distortions in this unit and I couldn't disagree more. I think these people are experiencing weak distortions because of the other gear in their rigs, not because of the GT-3. If you have a squier strat running into a crate gfx 15 you can't expect to get killer death metal distortion out of it. The effects for the most part sound great to my ears, I do think the wah pedal could be more pronounced. For the money I layed down for this though I can't complain about a little thing like that though, I also think that the whammy effect leaves a little to be desired, but I haven't had time to tinker with it that much either so maybe my opinion on that will change. As far as emulating my favorite artist, this will get you as close as you can get to most anyone's sound without spending thousands of dollars to get the rig excactly like theirs. And everyone knows that half the sound of someone comes from their fingers anyway. I particularly think that the chorus, reverb, delays, and harmonizer in this unit are
very good. I tried out the digitech rp2000 and also the korg ax1000g, and they weren't even close in my opinion. They are more in line with
the Boss ME30 to me. Overall I would say this box sounds amazing especially for under $400.

I have no reason to doubt the reliability of this unit. I have owned boss products in the past and they never let me down.

I have been playing about ten years, and have owned various pieces of equipment. Other than my current guitar and my Mesa head this is the best piece of equipment i've owned hands down. If it were stolen I would be back at Keeper's music in a second and get a new one. I do wish it allowed a little more precise adjustments on the gain and the detune feature's were a little more in depth, but overall I don't have anything bad to say about it. It's definatly made my life as a musician a lot better just by letting me get the sounds my boogie doesn't produce(bright funk tones, surf tones, etc.) I would recommend this to anyone as long as they have the time to sit down and
get to know it so they can take full advantage of it's many great sounds.

This is just an update from my original post I spent A LOT of time with the unit and that's what it is going to take if ANYONE buys this unit. Organizing banks, setting up sounds, etc. is a real displeasure but the results are very much worth it. Like I said, the manual isn't the best but it explains the basics. There are other Unofficial manuals for it that are really good.

Well, my original complaint was that it sounded good @ low volumes, but at high volumes it sucked. With time, the sound came...and so did the VOLUME ! I am very pleased with sounds I am getting from it. My set is either a Schecter C-7 (7 string) or ESP LTD ( 7 string). The output from the GT3 goes to the input of my guitar amp (Crate 1/2 stack), and then from guitar to the GT3 input. I don't like the way it sounds through the fx loop so I am going to keep it set up this way.

It is not noisy at all. One of the quietist units I've seen.

In my opinion all the effects sound really good. The thing I stress the most is that you have to spend lots of hours tweeking before you get the sounds and organization of banks that you want.

I can get every and any sound I want out of this unit. I like to jam along to KoRn, Slipknot, Limp Biz, etc. and any fx they are using, I can create within about 15 minutes the exact sound.

Some fx on theunit I havn't found a use for yet. I am sure I will in time but right now, I don't use the ring mod, auto riff, and other fx like that. There are a lot of effects in the unit that I really like like the reverb, delay, flanger, chorus, ac simulater, and others.

Well, the unit itself is very durable,,,but I am worried about the foot pedals. The expression pedal, and the other 6 pedals seem kinda unstable I hope they all continue to work. Te rotator dial thingy is nice but I have heard that is starts sticking and skipping things so you have to be careful with that.

Havn't dealt with them

Play heavy music, works perfect

been playing for 7 years

if it were stolen, I would definatly by a new one

I like everything about exept foot controlers, don't seem like they will last

I wish you could use multiple mudulation sounds @ once with it (like the flanger mixed with the slicer)

It helps me make music but it does kinda get in the way.

this unit rocks, go buy one and an extra expression pedal

The USER INTERFACE of this unit is superior to a lot of other multiFX pedals I have seen. Everything is logically organised, and even without reading the manual one can attain satisfaction

I am using the unit for a 6-String custom Bass (Vadim/VR) with a Peavey Mark-III Head, going tru 2x10. I took a while to figure out the best setting for my bass, and it took quite a lot of experimenting. Effects that I don't use are the PitchShifter and the Synth sounds. Their response on Bass is not precise, and doesn't sound good altogether. Everything else is used and abused by my Fat 6-String, and made my sound what it is. It literally made me sing.

I also use the Processor for Studio recordings, for Voice, Guitar, Keys, and it has allways fascinated me with its versatillity

Oh Yeah, Never failed me once

It is a kickass module that allowed me to fully bring out the qualities of my bass. It is for me what different Filters are for the photographer. Depending on the scenery an apporpriate filter can be of immense improtance, or complete destruction of the picture.

It is a very powerful weapon, and should be used with care, and taste. Remember: too much spice can ruin the food, a good amount can make it fantastic

No way is it easy. It has 5 eq's. How can stringing together 5 eq's
be easy? It's not hard to program, it's just that the tone tweaking
NEVER ENDS. It's sort of like having a bass guitar amp with 93 knobs.
What's the point Vanessa?

Any sound can eventually be made with this thing. BUT BUT BUT don't try to adjust it at a rehearsal or at a gig. And that is my complaint. It may sound super at home and you get a great sound thru headphones or your computer but when you run the same patch thru your amp it might sound like its coming thru a tunnel. There are simply too many eq options and the thing is thin to start off with. You've got distortion eq. then amp eq then eq then another eq (I'm not kidding) and then a master treble and bass
and then a bunch of different output selections such as phones, stack,
combo, power amp combo, etc. And boss recommends setting your guitar
amp at bass 0 mid 10 treble 0 WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? Who in the
hell would ever set their guitar amp at bass 0 mid 10 and treble 0
I swear that's what it says to do in the manual. Read it for yourself. Another note, the amp distortions are much better than the
stompbox distortions. How can a fuzz box sound better than a
blazing Marshall? Answer.... IT CAN'T!!!!! For me their inclusion at
all is somewhat of a perversion. Like preferring a magazine to a real girl.

very solid construction

who can say, but boss stuff is solid

I had to sell it. Because although it can make ANY sound. Finding and changing sounds on the fly (I hate that expression) (why can't we change sounds on the cockroach for a change?) anyway changing sounds
quickly, well it's TWEAK HELL. it Will get in the way of inspiration.
A guitarist needs a good tone FAST so he can find a GROOVE. Tweaking
the GT3 is sort of like having to go to medical school just to let a
fart.

At first the unit seems quite complex, but after a few weeks of use it's very understandable and simple to use. the instruction manual can be useful in some area's though it's not needed for most cases. editing is complex but not hard.

i'm running an epiphone SG through the GT-3 into the power amp of a marshall valvestate 8080. with this setup i can get a wide variety of sounds. the presets on the GT-3 are very poor, that's why you need to program your own effects. to get a good distortion you need to use a distorion, preamp and equalizer on the the GT-3, just using a distorion is to weak. the GT-3 was designed to plug into a power amp and to use the preamps on it. if used the correct way the sounds available can be great, but if used incorrectly it can sound like shit. when used correctly the only effect that is a minor let down is the wah pedal, but it still does the job. the GT-3 can produce very heavy distortions, soft jazz tones, cool chorus's, trippy vibrato's and many more adventurous sounds. you won't get mesa boogie triple rectifier tones out of this.

very dependable and solidly built. no backup is required for giging.

never needed to contact them

i play in a hydrofunk band but personally i play anything from jazz to funk to triphop to blues to metal. this unit can accompany all these styles of music. i've been playing for just over three years and the GT-3 is not designed for begginers. i've owned other distortion pedals, boss ds-1(shit), danelectro fabtone(great) but no longer need them because of the GT-3. i'd probably get it again on insurance if it were lost or stolen but i'd probably try other units just to see what they're like. if the GT-3 had warmer distortion and a more variable wah i would give it a 10. but for the price you can't buy better.

"How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?" -pretty easy, this is my first effect & it doesn't seem difficult to put patches together.
Manual is a little spare, but i didn't find it that necessary.
my unit has not been upgraded.

"Noisy?" Generally not too noisy, although it seems like the delay, the compression, and the equalization have more noise than is ideal.
"Are effects weak?" I think the effects are generally probably not as good as you could get in better individual pedals, but still reasonably good, given convenience, ease of use, and value for the money.
"Are certain effects very good/very bad?" I don't really like the wah-wah or the flanger. The overdrives & distortions are reasonably good. Compression, eq, delay & chorus are good. Vibrato is pretty good. Don't really care for the pickup or preamp simulators but they're not bad. Haven't really used the reverb b/c I use my amp's reverb. Haven't really used the various other effects (harmonizer, phaser, tremolo, slicer, ring modulation, feedbacker, acoustic guitar simulator, auto riff, etc.)
"What setup are you using this with?" Fender Stratocaster/Jazzmaster/Jaguar/Telecaster>Boss GT-3> Fender Vibrolux Reverb.

very good. if i ever got a gig i would feel comfortable using it w/o a backup.

n/a

"How long have you been playing?" Seriously, 4 months. Played keyboards & bass for a few years. I think this is an excellent product for all players of little or no experience, as well as anybody who wants the convenience of a multi-effects unit. This is the only effect I've ever owned, but I liked it better than the other multi-effects I auditioned. The sound quality, I think, for the # of effects, is as good for the money as you can get. Hopefully in the future I will have lots of cool analog effects, but this is more than good enough for the foreseeable future.
"What other gear do you own?" I'm playing Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazzmaster & Jaguar into the GT-3 into a Fender Vibrolux Reverb Reissue. Plus an Epiphone electro-acoustic, but I play that directly into the amp. (As I said, I am new to guitar, but I did decide to splurge big-time).
"If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again?" -Yes.
"What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?"-The sound I am seeking is sort of Ira Kaplan/J.Mascis/Kevin Shields. This unit is probably not good enough to give even a much better player than myself a true approximation of those guitarists' sound, but it's close enough for my purposes.
Easy to use, easy to get decent sounds, definitely doesn't get in the way of making music.
Overall-This is my best effort at an objective & independent review. I would definitely recommend this product, but since I do not have a great deal of experience with guitar effects, please take with a grain of salt.

This is the first multi-effects processor I've used -- I bought it to replace a bunch of pedals that were stolen from me. Anyway, being used to pedals, there was a little bit of a learning curve for me. After I got used to how the thing operated, I found it pretty intuitive. The manual is very dry reading, but it did help me a little in terms of learning the basics of the GT-3. Editing patches is a little bit if a pain since the unit is on the floor. When I'm at home I pretty much leave the thing on top of my amp. I would hate to have to screw around with patches at a gig, because there are a lot of parameters that can be modified with each effect. It's not hard to edit patches, but it is a little time-consuming.

My main guitar at the moment is a Parker Nitefly-SA, and my main amp is a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I run the signal from the magnetic pickups into the GT-3, then into the first input of the fender, and I run the piezo pickups dry into the second input. I really love the clean sound I get when doing this. The modulation effects are great in my opinion, and the noise gate is much better than on Line 6's products. I've heard a lot of people complain about the distortion on this unit. They are a bit harsh to my ears. One thing I have found to remedy this is to set the reverb on my amp at around 3 (this is also utilizing the reverb on the GT-3). This takes a little of the edge off the sound. I like the amp models very much. When I was shopping for effects processors, I tried the Line 6 pod as well, and found that I liked the models on the GT-3 much better because they seemed a lot less abrasive. I have owned a few of the amps that the GT-3 simulates, and it certainly doesn't produce an identical sound, but it's close. I guess that's why they call them amp models instead of amp clones. Anyway, with a little bit of tweaking the amp models can sound really great.

It hasn't broken down yet, but I haven't had it long. I've heard that Boss products are pretty solid.

I've only had this thing for a week, so I haven't had to deal with them. The warranty sucks big time, however. I guess I'll just hope nothing goes wrong.

I play a lot of different stuff from Steely Dan to Rush, to original material, and the GT-3 covers all the bases really well. I don't know how it would do for metal though, since I don't play that too often. I really love the fact that I can get a great sound out of one box instead of a mess of pedals. The sound of this thing rivals that of processors costing three times as much if not more, it kills anything Digitech makes. If it were stolen, I would certainly buy another one. The only thing I wish it had was more of a selection of reverb, and a better warranty.

IT IS PRETTY SIMPLE TO USE. EDITING PATCHES IS REALLY EASY. THE MANUAL IS A ROUGH TO UNDERSTAND. I WISH THEY HAD GIVEN SOME SETUP EXAMPLES OF CURRENT GUITARIST SO THAT YOU COULD TOY AROUND WITH SETTINGS AND LEARN. ALSO A BIG THING THEY LEAVE OUT OF IMPORTANCE IS A GOOD EXPLINATION OF THE EFFECTS CHAIN SETUP AND THE DO'S AND DON'TS

I USE A FENDER STEREO CHORUS, MARSHALL VAVLESTATE, AND MARSHALL ARTIST 1/2 STACK WITH THE PEDAL. I PLAY AN IBANEZ S470 AND 570, EPIPHONE LES PAUL STANDARD, FENDER MEXICAN TELECASTER AND STRAT. THE UNIT CAN FEEDBACK EASILY. I WISH THEY WOULD HAVE PUT IN A UNIVERSAL VOLUME SETTING. WHEN YOU GO FROM ONE PRESET TO THE NEXT THE THING CAN SCREAM OR BARELY BE HEARD. THE DISTORTIONS ARE GOOD BUT YOU REALLY HAVE TO TOY WITH THEM. IN ALL ITS JUST LIKE OWNING A FULL COMPLIMENT OF BOSS PEDALS EXCEPT YOU DON'T HAVE TO TOY WITH THE KNOBS FOR EACH SONG.

IT'S BOSS THEY'RE 100% RELIABLE. THE GREAT THING IS THERE IS NO BATTERIES TO CHANGE. THAT PAYS FOR THE PEDAL IN A FEW MONTHS.

NEVER HAD TO DEAL WITH THEM.

I WOULD REALLY TRY IT OUT FIRST. IF YOU LIKE BOSS PEDALS THAN BUY IT. NOTE, THE WAH PEDAL IS HORRIBLE SO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A GOOD ONE TO USE. THE SECOND THING IS BE PATIENT AND REALLY FORGET THE PRESET STUFF MOST OF IT NEEDS TO BE SET PER YOUR RIG ANYHOW AND BE CAREFUL WITH THE VOLUMES OF EACH PATCH.

I got it for X-mas and figured it out right away. Takes lots of time to get it organized and programmed but it is worth it. The manual is pretty good. Helped explain the basic things.

I connect the output from the GT-3 into the input of my amp (Crate Half stack) then plug my guitar into the input of GT-3. This thing sounds amazing when at low levels but I can not get a damn good sound from it at higher volumes. It really pisses me off. If anyone has any help for me, PLEASE E-MAIL ME !!! adidas@kornographic.zzncom
I can get any damn sound from this. Great product, but I don't like how I can turn it up. Some one help !

Very, Very durable.

Havn't had to,,,yet

I think this thing is great. I would like to use this in my band and at gigs but until I can get a good sound from it when turned up,,,I guess I won't be.

The sounds are pretty to form. Each effect offers a lot of different peramiters which can be set reliativley easy. The banks are full of preset effects that can be tampered with and set to your own ear. To be truthful, I didn't read the manual. I'm the kind of person who has to figure it out for myself. I found the manual a little confusing, but like I said, I'm a "do it yourselfer", so this may be the opposite for you.

I'm using a Mexican Fender Strat with this processor. I'm also using a really really crappy Crate GX-15 (15 watt, 8 inch speaker), but I patched an old record player to it and crank the sound out through 4 speakers, and it sounds great! They effects are pretty clear and sound really good. The distortion and overdrive effects will obviously produce fuzz in the back ground, but I'm sure it's mostly because I play close to, and facing, my amp. At a recent jam session I had with my band I used a longer cable and stood facing away my from my amp, and there was a very little amount of fuzz.

I would deffinatley wip this processor out at a gig or concert, as a matter of fact, I DO!!!

I was told by one of the guitarists in my band that I sound 10 times better because of my processor. I only play rock and using the effects that it offers, I agress with my guitarist. If it was stolen or lost I would probably get the Boss GT-5. It's the same thing as the GT-3, but it offers more effects under each one of it's banks. It's usually about $550-$600 in comparison to the GT-3's $350-$400. This product is deffinatly worth what you pay for it.

Very easy to use

Great sound, some digital, but everything else is great

OK I HAVE HAD A FEW E-MAILS ON THIS ONE. I SAID THAT I GOT IT ON CHRISTMAS, AND THAT I GIG WITH IT ALL THE TIME, BUT I SUMITTED THE REVEIW ON CHRISTMAS SO HOW COULD I GIG ALL THE TIME WITH IT??? WELL IM NOT THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD THAT HAS IT! MY BAND OWNS ONE, SO I GOT ONE BECAUSE IT WAS A GREAT TOOL. THIS THING IS GREAT. LIKE I SAID BUILT LIKE A TANK!!!

I called them up and they were very nice. i just had a quest about carrying case that are built for the GT-3. nothing wrong with my boss stuff... yet. not saying that somethings gonna happen but... you never know.

great. this is a fix to the reveiw 2 reveiws down. i love the GT-3 now! its the best!

simple to use, yet time consuming to program. that is if you care about your tone.

to all who think the GT-3's distortion sounds are "too digital", think agian. i am a tone freak and i just got this unit, the first thing i did was figured out how to get the phat tone. if you use the "clean twin" preamp matched with the "distortion 1", "natural od", "turbo od", or "fuzz", you should be able to get a great tone. if you kick the drive down to "7" on the fuzz you got jeff beck. of course amps and axes mater, but if you know what good tone is you can achieve it with the GT-3.

have'nt had it long enough to break

rolan is too slow, but they are a big coorporation

just know how you want to sound, and devote your time to programing the thing and it will do some miracles

Boss started out with the GT-5, wich was supposedly the "top dog". Now they came out with the GT-3 and it is much better. at $250 cheaper, 4 new effects, and a much easier, sturdier sytem blows away the GT-5. The sound sounds great but sounds a little digital at times. I will talk about how to fix that later on. It is very easy. I didnt even have to consult the manual. I got it on christmas day and was editing and making new patches within 10 minutes of trying out the gt-3. this is the way to go, in any instance, unless you are rich and can afford rack units, and every pedal you want. the manual is so-so. its not great but it gets you rolling. the Auto-Riff is crap. i dont know why you would want to use it.

I use a fender strat or an esp > into a boss mt-2 distortion pedal > then into the boss GT-3. I then run the Line-6 distortion box (DM4) in the GT-3's effects loop(less noise this way) > then into a marshall VS265R combo amp. It sounds great. but like I said up there it sounds a bit digital when you have the distortions mixed with a mod or when there is high treble. you can remedy this by buying a distortion pedal. the best out there is the MT-2 or the DM4. it is noisy on high gain and volumes. the effects are pretty good except the auto riff. it is worth nothing. total digital crap! i can get linkin park and korn and rage and metallica and slipknot in conjunction with the Mt-2 and the DM4.

oh god! watch out if it drops on your foot. it wont hurt the GT-3 but it shure will hurt you!! this thing is built like a tank. i gig with it all the time!

N/A

I play heavy metal and some blues like SRV and some 60's rock like Hendrix. i have been playing for 7 years i own 2 guitars 2 amps and 2 distortion pedals. my setup is great. you can get any sound out of the boss GT-3, but beware. I advise you to buy the DM4 or the MT-2 or you will get some digital, but if you like that then you are set. i would definitely buy another one. i dont like how when you swich to a different patch it isnt smooth. it is a rough transition. Nothing compares with the GT-3, only one other multi effects processor is better and that is the VG-88 by roland. But the catch is it costs $1000 dollar!!! It helps me make a whole variety of sounds and it expands my creative juices, but if you are looking for this to make you a better musician, it wont. the only way you will get better is by practice. THIS IS THE BEST MULTI EFFECTS PROCESSOR. NOTHING COMPARES!!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Never dealt with them

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Built like a freakin tank man.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rock solid, baby!

Good.

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

I find that the Boss GT-3 is equal to most audio programmable processors in it's ease/difficulty of use, which is usually not overly simple. Editing patches is relatively simple. The manual is pretty much as everyone here says, it's not that great-just ok. I wish there was more detail. (-1 for the manual).

I have always been the proverbial "tube purist" whenst it comes to guitar sounds and have owned Marshalls, Fenders, etc., however, I just recently joined another rock band and needed something that could give me alot of switching capabilities for distortions, volumes, and fx. Outside of one or two multi pedals with a tube,("one 12ax7 does not a tube amp make"), the GT-3 sounded the best. I've seen alot over the last 20 yrs., and this unit has probably the most useability of any processor, especially for the pricerange. I appreciate that they didn't put stupid colors and silly racing stripes, and bright paint all over this thing; it looks "adult". Anyway, at first I didn't care for the distortions too much because I hate that digital sound; they're usually grungy in the low-end, not tight enough. After a day or two of farting with the tweeks, I began to realize what an awesome piece of plastic and metal the GT-3 really is. This thing is the tits! (-1 'cause it's solid-state).

Kick it, beat it, smack it, whack it..... no, not me you idiot- THE STOMPBOX!

Whelp, the hour I first took this unit out of it's box and started plinking away on a clean Jazz patch, I noticed a faint, underlying distortion, which sounded like input distortion. Not finding an input level adjustment anywhere, I called up the Boss dude and said, "Dude; blah-blah-blah". And the Boss dude said, "Well blah",(which when translated means, "You need to turn down the internal gain or lower the High/Medium/Low gain settings"), at which point I said, "BLAH!". Therefore, I think they have good customer support.

I wike it awot, you cwazy wabbit! If it was ever lost or stolen, I'd come over there steal yours! HA!! (She gits a "10").

I have to say when I first saw this unit.....I could not believe it. It is a every guitar players dream come true. If you know how effect work this is a very easy unit to operate. It took me like a week to learn all its little quirks and it is awesome. Some of the presets are great and can let anyone get started without a hitch. The manual is O.K it just talks about all the different parameters within the different effects.

I have been playing guitar for 15 years and the sound from the GT-3 is one of the best I have heard. I primariy play strats through a several amps that I have collected along the way(fender, mesa, marshall) The sound quality is fantastic. The pre amp section is very true. Having played through several amps, I can tell you this thing replicates their sounds almost exactly. I am now able to get great warmth and tone without having to crank my amp up. Guy/gals listen up.....get this thing if you want versatality!!!

If you tweak right you can get great distortion without almost any noise. The modulation effects are over the top.....I never owned a harmonizer before and I have to say this one