Boss GT-3

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!

??A??!'A ???<?I?I ?o?uAo?? ???o?I ?? A??!?I
?O???| ?E?o AO'U A?AU?y?? ???? ?i??Ao ?E'U

>c?i??? ?I?>CI?e AU?O?? ?!?>A?'U'A ?>?U?! CO?o ??'U
?>?! gfx-8A> >c?eCI'U?! AI?E??'A?Y A??> >c?i?? A??????!?-
A?AI?! ?-'U

?- AI?E ?OCA??AEAI???! ?O?i?!Ao?? 'U'?'U
?U?e ????C??I ??A??Y...

A?~~~ ?????!AI???! CE?aCO?I??'U'A?C?!?
???? ?????!AI?? CI?e AAA??? 'c??CIAo ?E???
?I?? A?AI'U