Boss GT-5 Guitar Effects Processor

very easy to use and very simple
very pleasing on editing my patches especially on those bank c special functions can serve u want a boost, delay or some special function.....
i'be made a custom bank up and downfor it so i can play it and change each patches very fast.....

i use a legen les paul guitar, G&L strat, edwards les paul, an es335, fender esquire......

got it into my amps, jcm 900 fullstack, vox ac30 and fender 70's twin reverb....

i put also loops on my board .... diy digital/analog delay, eventide timefactor, ibanez pds1, 1st version procorat, hiwatt custom wah..i get it all hooked up on my GT5.... and then ill let it go send return of the amp.... then boom it makes an awesome live or either recording sound.....from very warm distortions, wet delays.... nice modulations and a very bright hiwatt custom wah with upgrades......

unlike gt10, gt8

i think this gt5 and gt6 is the only multieffects with analog sounding type of multis are produced

not as a back up but as a main!!!!

i don't need

bought it 2nd hand

10 yrs. of use only the skin and cosmetics is the problem (MEN 10 YRS!!!!)

superb multieffect unlike todays multi's

It is an old processor so it can be a little "user unfriendly" at the time of setting it up. It has A LOT of settings to take care of and the speaker simulation/pre-amp function can be tricky to set with your cabinet

I have had this processor for YEARS now and I have no complains at all. I used to have an RP-2000 which I hated and this has turned to be my main multieffect pedal.

I have gigged with this one pedal for 9 years now and I have had no issues whatsoever

I can't say, in 9 years I've never required any help from boss on it for it has been an extremely reliable pedal.

I would go higher, however like the reviewer below me I also took about 7 years to figure out how to use the GT-5 in front and in the loop at the same time. And in doing this I got rid of 6 pedals from my board, I was using it only in my loop and used other gear to get those sounds I needed. Now it all comes from the GT-5, and in the right order which is also very important.

There is a pic in the manual that depicts this set up, but it is a bit vague and no in depth explanation is provided, however it is very informative and easy to get an answer to some degree that can get you of to twidling.

I use a PRS Custom 22 into a Soldano Hot Rod 50+xl and it is like butter baby. Sorry. The unit does very little to color my tone, once I got good level going it was off to the races and I have used it everywhere I have played since 2000, and I played every state except Alaska as well as overseas and I never have any problems with the unit. It doesn't attract unwanted noise, and the 2 points of Noise Suppression are quite ample if it were to. There is a NS spot for your patch and an overall NS circut, so handy.

Like I said, it has been everywhere and I won't get rid of it. One day I may upgrade, but I still don't see the need to. This was bought for me as a backup, and now it is my main.

No opinion, it's Boss though so I can't knowck them.

I use my rig for all sorts of music and the Gt5 works fine with everything from Rock to Blues uses etc. Almost everything you want to do is in here, it just takes a minute to figure out the best way to do it. For example, I have a patch that uses the expression pedal, toe up the dry is prevelant as the main guitar signal with a reverse delay on it very mildly. As I toe down, I set the pedal to lower the dry and raise the reverse sound. Also, the expression pedal is adjusting the delay rate in small increments but enough to get a real wacky record player slowdown and reverse thing that is always interesting to me.

I would also like to recommend a couple of small foot switches, especially if you are using several patches. Manual mode is helpful, I set an onboard pedal to switch back and forth, however it is great to assign 1 particular function to an external pedal. I always use #2 for my delay tempo, and #1 to turn on my distortion/od for a patch. This way, even in patch mode you have a versatile pedal board

If you understand stompbox knobs and can transfer that knowledge to the art of digital editing and have a good ear, it's pretty easy to get good sounds. Just remember that what sounds good in your living room has, at best, a 50/50 chance of not cutting it on stage with your band. You will probably have to make adjustments, so be patient.

The manual seems to have been translated badly from some language other than English (surprise!) and also includes a chapter on midi implications which nobody I know uses. It is full of great diagrams though, so that compensates for the occasional odd phrasing.

The setup/connections section SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED ONE MORE DETAIL ON HOW TO USE THIS UNIT WITH YOUR GUITAR AMP'S EFFECTS LOOP, as that is the setup that makes the GT-5 sound its best.

Follow the instructions on connecting the GT-5 to your amp effects loop and use the Power Amp setting.

You have to have the LOOP effect in the unit ON in order to use your AMP essentially as an EFFECT. This setting allows you to make Treble-Bass-Mid-Preamp Volume knob adjustments on your amp which gives you some tone and volume control over Patches in which you are accessing the GT-5's PreAmp models. This saves you from having to drop to your knees in the middle of a song and make parameter adjustments to the unit within the patch.

While this seems like an intuitive thing to me now, for the first 5 years I owned this unit I was clueless about this detail.

Carvin TL-60 with Carvin Twin Blade humbuckers->Mesa Boogie MarkII-C. No noise problems. Ambient effects are all terrific. Decent Compressor. Lots of useless gizmos like Ringtone and limited stuff like Synth.

Can get any sound I want, clean or overdriven, all from clean channel of the Boogie with relatively flat settings (Treble 4-5 / Bass 6 / Mid 5 all knobs IN). Tone & Volume knobs on guitar come in handy sometimes.

Only problem with amp models is volume differences, even with same volume setting between models. I guess this is because maybe they are based on real-life power ratings of the amps.

I have set up GT-5's Control Pedal for Manual On/Off control of effects in each of your patches, and assign one of the pedals to the PreAmp models. This gives me one more tonal variation, and it is a Major one. With one step on a pedal I can switch back to my amp's tone and volume.

I've had this unit since it came out in 1996. Wish it had a removable power cable. Sometimes when I power up the LED display does this weird gibberish thing and the unit has to be shut off several times to correct itself, but it always comes back. This is the unit's Achilles Heel. When that LED goes, the GT-5 is probably doomed to the recycle bin. *see customer support category

I've always gotten great customer support from forums like this, so I never call the company. The cost and hassle of repairing a GT-5 just makes me go shopping for a new one. I'd probably go for a GT-10 instead of fixing the 5.

BOSS SHOULD INCLUDE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE MANUAL FOR HOW TO RECYCLE THEIR EQUIPMENT IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WAY. Don't just throw out your GT-5!

I play Country Rock Jazz Blues. Been playing 35 years. I haven't gone to a gig without the GT-5 since I bought it, including solo acoustic shows. It definitely has helped become a more expressive and conscientious musician. If you are playing a variety of styles of music and are trying to make an honest attempt at creating the sound each of them requires, you need a great sounding reliable multi-effects unit with reasonably accurate amp modeling capability, and the GT-5 fulfills that role.

OK, this was one of the first "serious" multieffects floor processor for guitar by BOSS; one that had a ton of effects, COSM modeling, and was built for abusive stomping. BUT, it`s not user friendly at all...that`s a major concern for people who expect it to sound good right out of the box...the menus, like a lot of stuff from roland; are just plain tedious. It made more sense when they started to add knobs instead of a scroll wheel to change parameters, but still a lot of the presets suck pretty badly. It`s amazingly frustrating to scroll into menus to adjust one band on the EQ or the treble on your virtual fuzzbox; while your playing at the same time.... So you have to take lots of time and patience to write your own programs on the GT5. The manual is a must if you want to FULLY understand the processor, and to all you tweakheads it`s worth to know about a few techy stuff like the manipulation of any effect parameter with a virtual wave controller...specially to achieve a lot of weird experimental effects/noises.
But all in all, if you have patience, like to tweak sounds, hates presets, and/or play experimental guitar, this is a great option. (Check them out at ebay! They`re dirt cheap!)

I`ve been using this processor just about for any type of gig, recording session, jam, whatever, possible...again, you have to make some adjustments to make it sound good and it totally depends on how you hook it. I play a strat, LP, tele and even an acoustic guitar with the GT5. I`ve played all sorts of music...from industrial/experimental, noisepop to folk acoustic, and everything in between (metal, pop, blues, etc.)
I`ve mainly used it:
1)Direct to the mixer. At this setup, I use the line/headphones setting with the cabinet simulation always on. It`s very, very, very, very DIFFERENT the way it FEELS your playing...most people freak out and they hate it for that, hahaha...But it`s actually easier to mix the guitar this way, effects are always present and the sound never gets buried in the mix. Obviously, you depend totally on the monitors and the PA system. But if you have a decent and trustworthy soundguy at the mix, I guess you`ll be fine. And of course, all you need to carry is a guitar, some cables and the GT5!
The only tip of advice I can give you soundwise, is to lower the general highs on the GT5, the headphones/line signal might be a tad bit bright, maybe a bit too HIFI for most people.
2) GT5 & combo or stack, thru the effects loop return or into the preamp in (depends on the amp). Ok, this is where I think it`s preamp simulations really shine...again you have to tweak, twaek, tweak... some of the most convincing preamp simulations (at least to me) , are the clean ones...the dirty ones, are a bit more artificial sounding, you have to really experiment a lot to get a convincing marshall sound. But thru a lot of the combo amps that use a 1x12" speaker, I can get a sweet Fender sound without any hassle...
I`d recommend to use the cabinet simulation off on the GT5 for this setup and turn the power amp combo/stack setting on. And maybe back off on the reverb`s wetness %.
3) GT5 thru the amp preamp. Sometimes I`ve had to plug in this way, mostly it`s because I`m not using my own amplifier and/or the amplifier that I`m plugging into doesn`t have a preamp in or an effects loop. This is my least favorite way to use the Gt5, because it totally changes the sounds, and is totally dependable on the amplifier and it`s speakers...You could just bypass all the preamps and cabinet simulations all together and just use the GT5 for modulation effects or whatever, and use your amp`s distortion instead. But then, it would be better if your going that route to place the GT5 thru the effects loop, if it has one....hahaha, ok that`s another story...
Is it noisy? I guess not, considering high gain and massive distortion hiss normal playing on single coils, hahaha...seriously NO, it`s not noisy, also it has a splendid noise reduction effect that`s very usefull when needed. I guess it varies to what kind of pickups you use, and the amount of distortion, the use of compression, etc... Speaking of which, the gt5 has a little knob to turn the input`s signal up or down...I`ve found it a little bit frustrating to adjust it every time I have to switch to another guitar, since my les paul has hotter pickups than my strat; because the signal line has a tremendous effect on the sounds of your programs. BOSS recommends to turn up the signal until the little red light starts to light up ocassionally when you strum or pick hard.
All of the effects are top notch. I`m not gonna get too much into details (this review is getting longer than I expected). But every effect has it`s place...even the guitar synth has it`s use, I can get a very cheezy sax sound that`s so cool for improv jams, hahaha...every head turns. Delays are awesome, lush chorus, flexible phaser, aural reverbs, zany ring modulation...you get the point.
I use different amps, marshall half stacks, peavey combos, etc...
I can get sounds that go from cocteau twins to van halen, the cure to david gilmour, beatles to bloc party.

Like all of the BOSS pedals, built like a tank. It`s even got a thick power cable instead of a wallwart. Although it would`ve been great if it were removable, you know; like the standard power cable.

N/A

Well I guess if your reading this, it`s because you`re looking for a used, cheap multieffects unit. And at the prices they`re selling for now, it`s a great option. I bought mine when they released it, and it`s never ever given me any trouble. I`ve been playing for almost 20 years, and for maybe half that time I used pedals. I bought the GT5 to replace the pedals, and to a certain degree it did. But like I said before, and I repeat...you have to TWEAK, TWEAK, TWEAK a lot before getting GREAT sounds out of this unit.

It has a little learning curve- even for a rack head like I am with a rack full of Korg, Rocktron, and Boogie stuff.

I use mine for what you would not expect- I am a solo singer/ songwriter playiing solo acoustic shows- and this is the BEST unit for acoustic guitar effects. It does not color the tone of my Taylor 410CE with the Fishman system in it at ALL. Perfect. And this is one of the few units that you are truly bypassing the entire preamp section. It's just guitar to compressor to effects. I don't use the onboard EQ at all.

The delays are- well- let's put it this way. I have had an Eventide, various Rocktron and Korg units, and this thing sounds just as good. Friggin' AMAZING.

Perfectly clean and quiet. Effects are WONDERFUL, especially the choruses and delays.

Only had ita couple months... I'll judge reliability later. No problems yet.

I know form the past that Boss has great customer support. I worked in Music retail, and they were one of the easiest companies to work with.

Nobody really makes a pedal designed for what I want- no preamp stuff- just a compressor straight to the effects section- that has the control ability I wanted. I thought I'd give this thing a shot, and it is a real winner. I HIGHLY reccommend it for solo acoustic guys to get osme effects. Other friends of mine were using the POD live floorboard, but I could tell it killed their tone a little.

The pre-sets sound gaudy. They sound good once you edit down the effects. Less delay, less distortion, less everything. I found the manual essential for creating patches.

Most of the patches I actually use (about 10) are edited presets, some SUBSTANTIALLY edited. I cant imagine using any of the presets for gigging. They seem designed just to 'show off' this piece of kit.

My main lead guitar custom patch is the edited (Fender) TWIN-REVERB one. Similar to Jerry Garcia's sound (he used a Twin Rev at the heart of his system). It sounds very good.

AMP: I use this with a Fender Stage 112 and 5 instrument leads. You need 3 to cobble it through the effects loop. This way you get the clearest signal and the amp is then slaved to the GT-5, using its clean channel and bypassing all the switches & dials. Another lead is a line out to the band PA.

GUITAR: I mostly use a Jackson Soloist XL. Though a single coil pickup may the ideal option (cleaner signal), I find I use the brighter humbucker a lot of the time, especially towards the end of a gig.

The key to creating the best sounding effects is to know how to place them in the chain ie: what comes first & last. I created a patch at home that sounded superb in the dining room, but sounded horrible cranked up at gigging volume. Expect to do a lot of tweaking to patches as they do sound different at high volume.

I use this without a backup. I have used it for many years and it just goes on & on. This year I had to have the power lead chopped back, it had worn loose after years of heavy use. Boss should really have used a kettle lead here, but this is a minor grumble.

One favourite user-patch has a tremolo effect asigned to the stomp button, this stopped working properlly after a couple of years for some reason (The volume now dips substantially). I have not tried to ???fix??? this, as I only use on one song and I am lazy.

There have been 2 occasions when programming the GT-5 that I???ve managed to make it ???lock up???. Switching the thing off and on again restored it ok again (just like PCs).

Actually it is very reliable where it counts.

Have not used customer support at BOSS ROWLAND. The power lead repair I had done by my local dealer. It cost about ??10.

I play in a 7 piece band rooted in soul & ska. In practice, this accounts for less than half of our set. We have updated our set to include songs by The Coral, Keiser Chiefs etc. Sadly (for me) no original material is played.

I briefly used a Zoom unit. The built quality was not very good but I reasoned that if it lasted a year, it would be money well spent. At that time the band was recording and the sound engineer found the Zoom was compromising the sound quality. He had a GT-5 handy, and I used that for the first time in the studio. Before that week was out, I had chopped in the Zoom for the GT-5.

With so many other instruments competing at mid-range, I find that I do about 60% of my rhythm work with no effects at all. This mean I have no compression at all, and I can hear me much better in the blend.

I have fewer outlets for my personal music than I would like, but the GT-5 is essential for that too. Presently I am using it for recording (with the Jackson + a Washburn) and using the acoustic guitar simulator for a couple of finger-picked instrumentals. I have both a steel string and a Spanish (nylon strung) acoustics available but get a clearer sound and signal from the GT-5.

I???ve been playing for 37 years and play all styles. One effect I would like to have is a nylon string simulator (Spanish guitar sound). This was included on the GT-6 but I have not heard it myself so I don???t know how authentic it is.

If my GT-5 were lost or stolen I would try out a GT-8. If the build quality or sounds were not good enough, I would try to source another GT-5.

I like to solo. My most important piece of kit is the Jackson. The 2nd most important is the GT-5

Ok. I thinks is very clear once you??ve read the manual. The manual doesn??t tells you how to get a great SRV sound or whatever. Its good at telling you what the effects do and the parameters for each of the effects. Editing gets easier with the quick settings (read manual).

Lets be honest. First, you start going through the factory presets trying to find nice (or great) sounds. YOU DONT! Ja! The thing is probably they didnt have someone who can program a decent sound on this. This obviously gets you frustrated. You have to do it all for yourself. And believe me that you can get incredible sounds with this, IT JUST TAKES TIME. The effect chain order is crittical for the sound you want. And found out that EQ and some filtering with the AUTOWAH (fixed) makes wonders. The custom overdrive/preamp is amazing.
2 aditional exp/control pedal jacks, the loop can be place it anywhere you want and doesnt REPLACE the distortion section as in the GT6, AWSOME! Manual mode for using effects as stompboxes, UNIQUE. And the exp/ctrl pedal or external can be assigned to ANY PARAMETER, not just volume or wah.
In other words it will take you time to understand what a beast this is, probably it is better suited for pros or players with good understanding of effects.
Im giving it 9 beacuse it takes time but the rest is just amazing sounds anything from country and acoustic clean sounds down to heavy metal and Floyd sounds. I havent seen anything this versatil

As EVERYONE says, built like a tank. No backup. Never had a single problem.

Never had to deal with them. Hope i??ll never have to. Doesnt seems like it.

Mostly in cover bands: Beatles, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, latin rock, samba jazz, BLUES, country. Ive been playing for 13 years and hopefuly know something about what good sound is. If it were stolen I already have another one that I use for my own project. Its great to have something that just have to get plugged to work like it should. I didnt compare it in front of anything I just got it, foolish move i thought, NO WAY! Everytime I compare my toys with other guitar player i always shine on.

It's not terrible difficult to get a good sound. The dial makes a big difference for one thing, as does all the buttons being there in front of you. You spend time in menus but it's all pretty intuitive.

As long as you understand how individual stomp boxes work, and what each effect does, it shouldn't take too long for you to figure this one out.

Never bothered with the manual although in my experience Boss Manuals tend to be ok.

All excellent apart from the distortions which take a bit more programming to get something decent. You can always insert your own pedal through the effects loop however. The rest, with the exception of the wah, are all brilliant, especially the chorus and delays. 10 years since it was released it holds up extremely well to current gear. I don't try and emulate anyone in particular but most sounds can be approximated using this pedal.

Makes me laugh when people claim the distortions sound digital - because they're not - they're ANALOGUE! Pure gear snobbery.

I found it in a pawn shop with a very battered case and one knob missing. It's been used and abused an AWFUL lot. It all works perfectly. 'Nuff said. It's a horrendous cliche to compare Boss gear to tanks, but it's based on truth...

My previous dealings with BOSS have been nothing but decent, but I am not about to call them about this old thing.

I've been playing for 10 years and this was always the dream pedal when I started. I have owned an ME-30, GT-3, GT-5 before but usually sold for some reason or another (strapped for cash). I have also owned many models of Zoom and Korg, and individual stompboxes. This isn't the best pedal anymore but at these prices you are getting an incredibly, professional capable unit that will serve your needs, and for the bits that you don't like (probably wah/dist) you can put your fave into the loop. I don't care and I know a lot of other people who don't either, and I just use it as an all in one. Never had a single complaint from the audience either.

If you can get it for around ?100 you are laughing. It's so much more versatile than even the successor pedals, and creates more sounds than I could ever dream up. I loved my GT-3 so it's a toss up which you can get cheaper really, however I do prefer the GT-5 overall.

Pretty damned easy - so long as you can read a user manual. Speaking of which, the manual is reasonably well layed out and easy to follow...
One thing which would make it even easier is PC connectivity (I know I'm asking alot for a pretty old product!). I have found some third party softwares but they don't work real well - manual programming is the only way with this baby.

I actually play a six string ibanez soundgear bass with alembic pickups. I run my axe into a behringer MDX2600 compressor, then out into the GT-5 input jack, then from GT-5 send jack to the compressor's second channel, then out of the compressor into a Trace-Elliot 100W commando combo bass amp, then from the Trace-Elliot send to the GT-5 return jack, then from the GT-5 output to the Trace-Elliot return, then from the trace-elliot to either mixing desk or recording device via DI.
Sound quality is great, I can make overdrives / distortions that NO bass effects pedal will ever go near. The GT-5 basically includes every boss stomp-box I would ever want, give-or-take a few parameters.

One thing I must say is that the synth sounds do not register way down low on my "B" string... not surprising for a guitar effect!

I have had this thing (since new) for about 6 or 7 years now, every now and then I open it and clean it, has some corrosion from gigging on the METAL casing, but hasn't effected sound quality. The thing is built like a tank and has travelled around australia with me gigging - you do not need a backup. Reliable as swiss military neutrality!

I have never dealt with boss direct (as I've never had the need).
Their website has everything you could need - there are alot of "GT sites" out there by third parties too.

I play alot of different styles of bass - metal, funk, rock, jazz, disco, et al. In our band we only have drums and trumpet apart from my bass, so I play alot of chords and "sound like a guitar" half the time. For my purposes the GT-5 is perfect as it has unlimited classic "guitar sounds", but handles the lower frequencies of my bass really nicely.
If there are other bass players out there looking at the GT-6B (boss's attempt at an actual bass pedal) don't bother. The GT-5 has better cosm chips and the DSP chips are alot flakier in the GT-6s.

I must admit that when i first got the gt-5 i had no clue what t he hell was going on but after i searched a few web pages and read the manual (not alot of help but some) i knew how to work the thing. After getting past the damn parameters its a breeze! editing patches is very very easy until it comes to editing the effect chain, and sometimes you must hunt for good sound, but give it like an hour or so and you will be rewarded with GREAT sound!

I have a gibson les paul custom with a crate 50 watt, or a fender twin reverb. Both sound awesome with the gt-5. i dont know why people give this such a low rating, other than sometimes with the guitar synth it sounds a bit digital and using the preamp, speak sim. EQ, and dist/od sounds choppy. The effects are AWESOME. I've used a lot of other junk like digitech and POD and ive never heard such great sound. Some advice: USE THE NOISE SUPPRESOR. but no too high.

THIS IS THE MOST RELIABLE BOARD OUT THERE. IVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT. WHEN I PLAY SHOWS, I DONT HAVE BACKUP, I DONT NEED IT!!! BUILT LIKE A TANK!!!!!

have never needed it.

i play a wide varity of music, deftones, rage against the machine, hendrix, phish, van halen ,etc. It is PERFECT for that type of music. I have the EXACT ( not kidding) sound for a ton of songs like bulls on parade, be quiet and drive, killing in the name, know your enemy, poem, little wing, waste( acoustic guitar sim. works great) and others. If it were stolen, i would go grand theft auto on every ones ass, or yes DEFENETLY buy a new one. I LOVE THIS THING. If i lost it my band would beat me with a bench and kill my family. BUY ON NOOOOOOWWWW!!!they are the best. thank you boss. IM me for patches.-SilVeR DY357

ease of use is spontanouslly but with any new piece of equipment please take the time to dig deep and use your manual as a basic bible. Also order the instructional video available from rolandus.com
Ive been using mine for over 10 years ... and I'm still able to edit or construct sounds from the past or intivated NEW Sounds ....

My setup has change over the years, my first 3years I've ran GT-5 Stereo into a CS-800 then to a 1960b marshall 4x12 cab . Then learning and expermenting not excluding my Bands song sound request I needed the best of both worlds tubes and processors .. So started using the loop send and return-output set-up I know 3-4 cables but this is truly the best combo but this is all just talk your sound depends on your amp and I currently us 3 different styles with it depending on my gig Mesa Boogie Mark IV w/2 1x12 vintage 30 watt celestions
for bigger venues Ive got a Mesa Boogie Recto 3/channel 100 watts ver thru a mesa boogie 4/12 packed with vintage 30's, and for fun a hi gain 50 watt marshall 2/channel ....
This unit has the best TUNER I've ever used ...Patchs theres 65 different x's user preset I have learned to watch effects chain and outputs If I have a week effect but I hear what your saying from those who say the compressor is a little weak .. its really not but most of us have all ways been able to get that little extra volume during those expression such as a lead break and the GT-5 compressor will just give you grit sustain thank boogie for sumuclass sw on my mark IV and solo on my recto ...
The patches are very good if and when you would like to use them ...

Yes Built like a Tank ! ! ! ! It actually is my back up ! ! !

Yes ! ! ! I have upgraded mine when I had mine repaired because a drunk FOXY LADY STEP-SLIPPED-SKATED using the rotory select knob !They repair'd and upgraded took less than a month ver 1.07 I think !
the knob should be reacessed like there smaller buttons " I've got to be kidding ! they were the best I guess ! ! ! !

I Play in a Top Forty something -Classic Rock Band in Northern Calif And I really think this unit is the BEST there is, unless money is no object ! ! ! I have been using it to obtain the effects 4 Billy Idiol - Metalica -ext....... Check out the web site www.strut-a-variuos.com I play quite a bit and it has always worked no matter what the house voltage is doing . Or spilled Beer its not water prof but its a work horse ... And has never let me down KNOCK ON WOOD !
I do think it is a unit that Roland needs to bring back for the working musicians its not a line-6 its a Tool that will one day be unavailable so if you need a good tuner get it !!! it inncredable what you could do with it ..... PEACE OUT

The GT5 is quite easy to use once you get the gist of it, and after a few days you wont need the manual again for setting up effects patches. The manual is OK but doesnt adequately explain all the potential set ups between guitar and amp for my liking. Using the unit direct through PA is OK but when I got back in a band I wanted to bring my amp back into play so I tried the 4 lead hook up as suggested in this column. After setting the GT5 eq the sound quality was good. Unfortunately, this way (through my Mesa rectoverb) I lose all control of the amps pre amp and tone section. I am thinking of going back to stomp boxes as I know the compressor in this unit cant live with my old Boss CS3. Any suggestions as to alternative set ups that dont delete amp tones are welcome!
Craig

Set up. Fender Strat, Mesa Rectoverb, GT 5 4lead hook up using effects loop

Excellent durability. Been to hell and back, dented and whacked. Still going strong.

No experience with customer support

Lots of 60s, Dire Straits, Clapton. Convenient for rapid effects changes. Compromises amp tone quality if set up "traditionally".

easy

a tiny bit noisy with the pre and speaker sim on.

never gone wrong

just want to agree with a few of the further posts that reccomended using a tube preamp in the loop and a tube power amp after..it really balances out and warms the digital aspects of the gt5 and you get the best of both worlds with no clutter ect...i have some line6 stuff and some stompboxes and something tells me that the gt5 which ive had for years cant cut it against all this new technology. but that is wrong because it sounds great today as it did when i first got it. Mainly use it for its reverb,delay,slow gear,chorus and trem....try finding that lot at boss quality in one rock solid stomp box. I think this may be a bit of a classic...its certainly a keeper..at second hand prices its just plain criminal.

Pro Grade effect's processer, so you have to read the manual to fully understand the functions.

I by no means am a pro-player, but with little effort I can modify the gt-5 to suite my needs,

Editing Patches could not be any simpler. Altho I must admit, atleast one third of the preset patches are useless to me, I mean, Telephone, Noise Storm, and Ethnic Bell??? Do these sounds exist in the music world?? If so I can't think of one example. But i digress, these patches areeasly replaced with functioning real world patches.

I run a standard Fender Strat., a '62 Jaguar and a custom cyclone through the GT-5. As for amp's I frequiently use the Fender FM65R, and a Marshell G30R and I can honestly say the the Boss GT-5 has never seemed to be limiting my play, quite the opposite, If anything my gear is limiting the GT-5.

BTH I live for the late 80's thru the 90's Grunge period. This Processor handles all the Nirvana, Soundgarden, AIC, PIXIES, etc. and can smoke with the best SRV style players also. I think Jimi would have surely approved of this little gem.

With out a doubt, I would not rely on anything else without a backup.

Trust the GT-5, It's a tank, made for the road...

See "Reliability" in 6 years of stomping on the sucker I have never had to call Boss's Tech Support.

I've never tryed to Upgrade, but if it gets any better I don't think I could stand myself. Just kidding. I'll get around to it some day.

I play everythig from Stevie Ray Vaughn to Nirvana, but tend the stay in the destorted side of rock & roll. I've been at it 365 for the past 12 years and 5 years of plunking prior to that.

If it were stolen I would hunt down the low life sucker and super-glue his testicles to his knees, If I lost it, I would NEVER lose it. End of story. And yes I would replace it with an exact duplicate, but I would be pissed because I would never be able to get the great deal I got on the original one.

Best feature:

Endless capabilities sound/tone wise.

Worst features:

It is intimidating if you are not fimiliar with setting up your own gear, But READ THE MANUAL, Once you get into it you realize there is really nothing to it.

Favorite feature:

Size, 20" long X 9" wide. I can take this puppy anywhere that has electricty. With my strat, GT-5 and a pair of Wal-Mart headphone I'm in my own world.

Boa unidade. Pratica, com acessos faceis aos parametros de configurac?o, permitindo um manuseio intuitivo (com o passar do tempo). N?o fiz upgrade nem a testei via MIDI em um PC. Pra quem tinha uma RP-10 Digitech e bem simples operar a GT-5...

Uso uma Tagima custom, com captadores seymour duncan e uma Ibanez AF75T, semi-acustica. Plugo direto no P.A. (toco em barzinho) e tenho uma qualidade muuuuuito satisfatoria de sons limpos, crunchs e distorcidos. Logicamente, um Mesa Boogie ou um Soldano d?o um banho, mas acredito que nenhum ampli na faixa de US$ 1.000,00 consegue um timbre melhor... Pra mim, e o maximo...

Minha GT-5 deve ter participado de alguma guerra ou caido do onibus que levava a banda de seu antigo dono (*R*). Esta totalmente detonada, riscada, e falta o knob de volume. Dois leds n?o acendem... o visor de cristal liquido possui um profundo risco...
MAS ELA FUNCIONA P E R F E I T A M E N T E !!!! Pra mim, ela e uma unidade indestrutivel...

Uma bosta! A Roland do Brasil quer me cobrar R$ 50,00 pela copia RESUMIDA do manual de instruc?es em portugues... Precisei do manual da DR 660 (bateria eletronica) e me cobraram mais R$ 50,00...
EU ODEIO A ROLAND DO BRASIL! Ah! visitem o site www.roland.com.br - E UM LIXO!!!!

E uma excelente unidade de efeitos... os chorus s?o impressionantes, organicos e bem timbrados... as distorc?es, pra blues/rock s?o bem legais, mesmo quando ligadas a um P.A., via COSM/Simulac?o de Falantes. Uso um par de caixas trapezoidais com falante de 15", driver e SuperTweeter Keybass e tiro um puta som...
SOU APAIXONADO PELA GT-5. Se puder, compre uma!

I give this device a ten. This device, once you understand it, is rather simple to use. Having said that, don't make the mistake of thinking that it's easy to setup killer patches! The CONTROLS are easy! Take your time, and you'll be very satisfied with the results. The manual doesn't really go in depth enough for this device...Then again, it would need a manual as a thick book to do that!

Number one: The effects are as good, or better, than ANY other effects unit out there - certainly better than any in it's class, or genre, if you will. If you understand how to setup you patches correctly, you'll have no problems with noise. I generally plug directly into a P.A. and use a little amp as a spot monitor. There is so much to get into, I doubt if anyone who's posted here, myself included, could give a complete review of this device - it's that deep.

Two sentences:
It's built like a tank.

Yes, you can use it without a backup.

Never had to deal with them...Probably because this thing is so dependable!

I play many styles of music, and this thing will do whatever I want it to. I've been playing for about 26 years, and I can't imagine a better floor-based effects unit. I've got a variety of "tone generators," and this one beats them all, hands down.

Very easy to use for me. I have had mine for 7 -8 years.
Great manual. My GT-5 was upgraded about 4 years ago

Ver good full clean and overdriven sound. You must remember that the sound is no better than what you hook this thing up to.
I run mine into a Peavey Classic 60 power amp (Tube) and then into a Carvin PA monitor with 2 10's and a horn. then into the PA.
Very versital

No problems ever

Christian rock and R&B.
If you turn off the preamp section you can us just the effects which are top notch effects. It has a great tuner and switching/midi capabilities plus a couple of either volumn or wah pedals. I don't think I ever used 1/3 of the capabilities of the GT-5

I writing in portuguese cos i'm from Brazil and there's no review in portuguese. N?o e facil. Qualquer um que diga que sim, esta mentindo! A primeira vista trata-se de simplesmente mexer em bot?es para conseguir os efeitos/sons que deseja, certo? Errado. Os sons saem horriveis. E preciso ler todo o manual diversas vezes, pesquisar muito na internet e ter bons ouvidos. O manual e basico. O meu GT5 e um dos primeiros, comprei logo que saiu.

Sabendo como usar, trata-se de uma ferramenta poderosa! Tem todos os efeitos que se precisa e um pouco mais: Humaniser (tambem conhecido como talkbox), guitar synth (sons sintetizados), acoustic simulator (simulador de guitarra acustica), tremolo e muito mais. A Boss colocou todos os pedais disponiveis na epoca em uma so caixa. N?o e ruidoso (apenas quando obviamente se usa distorc?o e compress?o), mas tem noise reduction.

Vou ser sincero, eu o uso por pura facilidade de ter tudo num so lugar, mas gosto bastante de pedaizinhos (Boss). Da para usa-lo profissionalmente sem problemas, tem midi e tudo mais.

A Boss/Roland e bem legal, basta contacta-los.

Eu toco pop, hard rock, metal. Se essa pedaleira fosse roubada eu ficaria doido pois e bem cara e se eu a vendesse poderia comprar uns bons pedais Boss, mas N?O a compraria outra vez. Compraria pedaizinhos. Como eu disse no comeco, e bem complicado mexer com ela para conseguir os sons que se quer e muitas vezes eu perco a paciencia.

What is ease of use really? Daisy-chaining ten stomps together and carrying around a pedalboard in a flight case? Having to disconnect and reconnect all your effects when you want to change the order? Buying a set of George L cables to patch them together? Having to remember where you set the knobs in case you change them?

Ok, perhaps thats a little over the top. Yes the GT-5 keeps it's effects behind menus with access via the value dial and parameter menus, but this is a good thing because when you've found your sounds, they stay there. You can back them up via MIDI if you like.

When I want to gig, gone are the array of pedals strewn around with leads everywhere and countless wall warts. All I do is pull this out, plug the extra footswitches in and patch to the amp. Easy! And once you know where the menus are and are used to the extra options that you don't get on stompboxes, this thing really opens up and you realise you just can't get this sort of power and quality anywhere else.

Current rig: Gibson SG or Squier Strat -> Boss GT-5 w/two FS-5Us and Small Stone phaser in the loop -> '78 Marshall JMP 2204 50 watt head -> '95 Marshall 1960a cab (Special Edition, red tolex).

I've owned all the GT units made so far (GT-3, GT-6 and GT-5 in that order) and for me this one is the most professional and best sounding. I wish I'd known that BEFORE, and bought this first but that just makes me appreciate how much better this unit is compared to the other two. Better placement of effects (ie no Compressor in the same bank as the Tremolo, dedicated speaker sim independant of the preamp sims).

It's not noisy unless you use high gain and even then the provided noise gate is great at killing the noise without killing your tone, if set right.

Almost all the effects are great and more than worthy of the asking price. Weak effects - pedal wah (the GT-6 wins here), harmonist + ring modulator (bad tracking). The reverb is good if used sparingly or drenched for shoegaze/ambient style playing. The delay is great - sound on sound AND self oscillation, as well as high cut. Shame the reverse delay clicks but you can't have it all.

Particularly impressive is the preamps combined with the speaker sims. With just a little work you can get very close to those tubey sounds. For example, the plexi sim (MS1959) reacts to the strat very similarly to my JMP - the out of phase positions sound best and the other pickup settings have a pleasent bite to them. I love the fact you can choose between dynamic or condenser mics - I've worked with several types of both for micing real amps and the ones provided here are pretty damn accurate in respect to how the different types of mic react. You can also mix and match - want a Marshall Plexi head running through an open back 2x12 Twin cab? You got it.

The GT-5 manages to keep your dyanamics when running to the front of an amp too - something a lot of multis just can't do, the Roland VG-8 included. I like to run it with the natural OD setting through my JMP - the tone is very similar to cranking the preamp gain with just the right amount of compression.

You don't like the GT-5's OD/DS, something not quite right about one of the presets? EQ it, or better still create your own, tailor made for your amp. Ditto that for preamps. You like shoegaze/ambient style music? How about an expression pedal controlled self oscillating delay with an extra footswitch for turning delay hold on and off, as well as a Short Delay in the mod group if you need it? You want a Leslie-style sound without the inconvinience of another heavy amp to carry? You want to change where your effects are in the chain on the fly or store your favourite chorus sound to use on lots of different patches without having to manually program it in each time? You've got that and countless other features right here.

I could go on and on, I really could. The GT-5 is still the best multi Boss ever made. The GT-3 retained some of that magic, the GT-6 apart from the odd improvement here and there ruined what made the GT-5 great in my opinion. The bottom line as I see it - this is cheaper and better.

Strengths: rugged metal chassis, recessed buttons, the Boss = tank seal of approval.

Weaknesses: raised value jog, plastic expression pedal, plastic 'soldered-to-the-board' jacks. These problems were solved on the later models, but be careful with this one.

I needed to upgrade the EPROM from version 1.03 to 1.07 to correct several little bugs in the unit. Roland UK's service was prompt and efficient, and I had no trouble installing the new ROM. I could have had it done by them but I wanted to minimise out-of-action time on the unit. Good service!

I play mostly rock, punk, blues, some ambient/shoegaze and a little folk. I don't do jazz. I've been playing over six years and I still can't play so well, but I'm experienced at recording and such so I know good tone. I've owned enough other multis and single stomps (no racks yet) to know that this unit is a great deal. I paid #155 for it... hell, one or two brand new stompboxes could easily set you back that much!

I love most things about it. The wah, harmonist and ring modulator could stand to be improved. I think the guitar synths have a great lofi quality to them which can be a lot of fun for looping and creating textures. The customisable OD/DS... well, it's like having twenty different gain pedals right there. All you need to do is hit a few buttons or change a patch for another one!

I've compared it to the other GT units, the Zoom 505, the DOD Tec4 and a few others, as well as my old all-analogue pedalboard. This won in terms of sound and ease of use, the only thing it couldn't top was my EHX Small Stone but it gets pretty damn close!

If they could combine the better parts of the GT-6 (well the wah sims and button under the EXP pedal mostly) with the synth tones and pickup modelling of the VG-8, added a looper with over 4 seconds sample time and on the fly loop pitch shifting and a few other features then I think I'd be the first in line to buy it. That's asking a lot though and to be honest this unit covers all the bases and then some for me, a definate keeper.

Now if only I could convince more people to come around to the idea of replacing their bulky, non-versatile (in comparison) pedalboards with this...

It gets a 10 because it's almost every effect I'll ever need in my rig for less than the price of a few standalone stompers. That and it sounds fantastic after you've cracked it.

If you want a few good tones and simplicity, stick with your stomps and be happy. If you want a set of nearly endless possibilities which can do pretty much anything you can think of (I've put it through it's paces on several occasions and it hasn't failed yet), with great sound quality to match, these are going for stupidly cheap prices on eBay. Grab one now before someone famous makes this an important part of their rig and drives the prices up!

It is time consuming to learn and master. I never liked to tiny LCD screen and all the flip-flopping back and forth between parameters. Sometimes, old fashioned knobs are a good thing.

I have owned mine since they first appeared (about 8-9 years, I think). I have used this unit as direct-to-the console, in the EFX loop of my Pre, and between the guitar and the Pre. Direct to console worked well for several years and served to keep stage volume down. I did not care for the Pre-EFX-loop setup as some effects were lifeless or non-existent. I prefer to run it between the guitar and the Pre like a giant stomp box. I play a Nashville Tele and Gibson LP into a MB V-Twin PreAmp into a MB 50/50 followed by two 1x12 MB half-open cabinets.

I have never had a problem with it. Sturdy and have used it live for years without a backup but I found its weakness last week. Someone tripped over a cabinet on a dark stage and stepped on the guitar cord right at the input jack. The ensuing leverage action snapped the printed circuit board like a dried-out cookie. Thankfully this was not during a live set (actually right before it) and luckily I was preparing for an acoustic set so I did not need all of the patches anyway. I ran straight into my rig and moved on.

No need to until now. I talked to the local tech and he said that a part would probably cost more than what the unit is worth. It looks like I will be hitting ebay to find another one. But I will probably go ahead and by that Vox Valvetronix I've bene looking at first.

It has a great unit and I have enjoyed it a lot. Since buying and test drivig every amp out there is a financial impossibility I originally bought this unit as a way to pseudo-test the various Amps. Looking for that perfect "tone". I kept coming back to the MesaBoogie for hard overdrive, the Roland JC-120 and Vox for clean, and the Vox and Matchless for light overdrive. I bought my MB rig about four years ago and preparing to buy a Vox rig. I tend to be a purist so I like real tubes...not simulated tubes....but don't get me wrong. This unit is great.

This piece of gold is a rocking machine if you have the time to figure
it out. I did not sleep in the first three days but then I got used to
it and now it kills the ears. If you make one patch for a sound you
think works, be prepared that in a week or two you may set some
parameters differently, only because your ears demand a slight turn.
It makes you think of sound, either (along with hearing it). Don't
forget to set the input/output balance right! If it's set the wrong
way, it could make you think that the effect sounds bad, which is
asolutely NOT the truth.

Since it is no longer on the selling list, you can hardly go into a
store and try one, unless they have it used. You know what? Try one.
Again, after you dial all the right parameters, the result WILL be
perfect. You can simply dial EVERYTHING, and I mean it. The key is in the effect chain settings!

This damn machine is tougher than a stompbox and it looks cool too.
There's only one cord and you're done for all night. Clear and strong
signal, perfect reproduction. Don't jump on the upper part where the
value jog and the screen are, that part is the only area that looks
vulnerable. (it probably isn't...)

Everething is available even though it's not produced any more.

Perfect for live environment, stage abuse and studio use.
From acoustic to blues, from hard rock to shred, from heavy dirt to
angelic synth, from bass to guitars and VOICE (!) effecting, this
machine opens all gates. If I ever will stop use it, it could only
be when I'm a million dollar recording artist with a shitload of
pricey amps and a big studio on my own. But I will use it live, I
guess.

what a wonderful machine!!....i bought this to replace a behringer v-amp 2 with a behringer fcb 1010 controller that i was using on stage, and fearing that the v-amp 2 was too fragile for live use, which it is.....the gt-5 is very easy to use, easy to program, and extremely rugged....even though i bought it used, i still got a manual with it, but all i used it for was to find the factory reset procedure....i absolutely love the sound and the flexibility....

the sound?.....great....just great...i run mine right into the low gain input on a sovtek tube midget 50h, and then into a marshall jcm900 1060a 4x12 box....typically used with a les paul or equivalent guitar, but always with a humbucker.....of course, as with any processor, you have to "cook" your own sounds to taste, but the gt-5 has more than adequate ingredients available.....i've read many of the other reviews here, and those folks who are having trouble getting good sounds, or using needlessly complex cabling setups are obviously doing something wrong....this unit is a definite no-brainer....my sound is a revved-up classic marshall tone, with a lot of meat...the sort that cleans up as you back off on your pick attack, and takes off over the cliff when you dig in.....the same response you get from a cranked tube amp, just as it should be.....and yes, i still like mids.....scooped mids sound stupid :(....

the unit is very quiet, and i am just as happy with it as i can be

bulit as the tank, but no treads...love the real ac cord

roland/boss are pros, and i would expect pro level service if i needed it

i've been playing now for 34 years, and i've been down every gear road there is.....there's no valid reason not to go with an all-in-one processor, as long as it's a good one, and this is a good one....obviously, if you're not good at programming, you'll have troubles, but then, if you're not good at programming, you'll have a tough time surviving in this world....you need to learn how....i'm convinced that nothing is perfect, but i'm giving this thing a 10 anyway, cuz it is just too sweet....it does everything i could ever ask for, and does it very well.....

The reason I'm posting this is that I have just discovered the KILLER upgrade for a GT-5. Just insert a Rockman distortion device (either the "Headphone amp type or a Sustainor rackmount) into the Effects Loop, and you can get the lead tome that the GT-5 lacks. Plus the GT-5's preamp/eq, noise gate and volume pedal improve the usability of even the cheap Rockmans to the point of pro stage use.

Rock on!

10

it's all in the fingers ( & ears) !

i like it ! used in two combo setting with lots of sounds.
marshall vs100 combo , with vs112 ext cab ( good thump) and a roland vg3. i tried a dg stomp also , but hated the wall wart.

boss' manufacturing sets the standard. built solidly , but handled with respect. protect & care for your toys. always have a back up ( especially for a bass player who likes to get drunk before the gig )
harmonizer / octave divider , anyone ? ) i've had digital wierdness due to power brown outs, sag , etc. invest in a power conditioner. with boss , nothing an arm & a leg couldn't fix..

i've had success thru their warranties & superstore site. they've yet to improve upon it with the gt6 (wall wart alert !) as far as i am concerned. too many options makes jack a dull boy.....

i replaced a boss gx700 with this because i made a vow to get rid of all my wall warts. i had the gx700 for 5 years , recorded 2 cds with it & it never failed to get what i needed. the gt5 was very close in dealing with parameters of the gx700. this takes the place of 15 boss pedals at your feet. a tuner, wah, whammy, volume pedal, slow gear is great & the feedbacker is highly sought after. great bargain. NO WALL WART !

Not easy but once you understand the differents parameters you get a great friend!

Use a Fernandez stratocaster and a Peyvey amp, sounds great! But when I play live I use a Roland Bluse Cube, and I have to reajust the sound or else it sounds crappy... I use most distorsion and acoustic effects and I don't understand those who said that the distortion is crappy; I think it sounds great when you afdjust the related parameters...

Solid as a rock!

Support? They rather close this departement! I've never used it (got this pedal now for 5 years) and don't expect to use it ever!

We play anything in our band (from Chuck Berry, Beatles, Deep purple Led Zeppelin to Cold Play!) and it has never failed to give me the sounds I needed. I sure by another one if this one got stolen!! I love the ease of changing from effect to effect and making my own effects banks, but I hate the time it takes to program new effects! The only minus I can see is the dependance of the amp you use. It can sound great on a good amp (like the Peyvey) and sounds completely desastrous on a other one (Like my damn Roland Bluse cube!) My only wish would be to find a site for GT5 users/fans where we could help each others or give good tips for the use of it! I any one knows such a site you're welcome to write to me!

Not a simple toy. takes a while to learn the parameters, but hey its a more "in depth" machine than most guitar processors. manual and video help explain it all pretty well. worth the programming time once you nail the right parameters. I've worked with tougher gear thats for sure.

First off...to all of you fellas who claim this thing is crap and the distortions suck, etc etc...If you know how to setup and use gear properly you will have no problem getting great tones out of this thing. I know most of the negative posts are from purist metalheads or old blues farts anyhow. you know, the same people who knock on electro music but can't even program a GT-5, heh. first off...run it direct into a PA setup or use the 4 cable hook up into a guitar amp (one amp for mono). if you prefer stereo to mono guitar, then it sounds best thru 2 combo or stack guitar amps using the 4 cable hook up. great distortions, thick tones (especially the fuzz which is my fave). this unit is really great for electronic influenced rock music ala new order, depeche mode, cure, pumpkins etc. I believe johnny Marr, Martin Gore and Billy Corgan use (or have used) these numerous times. clear processing. just plain sounds good if you know what your doing. If your a purist I don't know why the hell ya bought it in the first place. good for experimental tones.

very reliable. don't need a backup.

never needed to call boss. they don't even need a customer support dept. their stuff never breaks.

Its a great machine for live and recording if you know how to set it up and program. I've been playing since I was 12 years old. I'm 22 now. play a blend of psychedelic/electro/rock and would buy another one if it were taken from me. love all the features and all the available tones inside this thing. compared to all the other processors in its price range, this one takes the cake hands down. to hear it used on my recordings head to http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cmb

It took me a few tries to get the sound that i want. If you went through and read the manual first and then try to experiment, it's so much easier.

AFter reading the other reviews on this site, i came to the conclusion that the way to hook this baby up is the 4 -cable hookup. (that is: 1. guitar to GT Input. 2. GT send - Amp input , 3. GT Return to Amp Send, 4. GT output - Amp return.) I run a Peavey Classic 50/410 using a Gibson Les Paul Special SL (all stock) and the tone is unbelievable. I love it to death. It sounds good.

I have not owned this long enought to have a fair rating.

Excellent customer support.

I play in a cover band. This thing is as solid as rock. been playing a long time and i have a very discriminating ear so i know a good sound from the bad one, DUH!!

Used around 400? methinks.
I've never been too fond of Boss distortions and this unit is no surprise. But then I bought it for live use/easiness.
Sick of tap dancing....
I may add that the time effects sound worse than those I had in the ME-6 some 15 years ago. My honest opinion.

You need to spend many hours editing patches to make it sound right
but it eventually can be done.
A lot (I mean a REAL lot) of the result depends on the amplification :
At first I had a Marshall TSL100 head+cab
I tried in front, the 4 cable method and straight in the FX return without much luck. I spent quite some time trying to tune the unit.
But everything sounded like Marshall crunch no matter what I did.
I sold the amp and bought a pair of powered speakers (Behringer B300)
Sounds way better and WAY more versatile. I use them as monitors/stage amp and go direct to the board. If you have the bucks, I'd suggest Mackie SRM450 (they're louder and more reliable - I have a few probs with the B300). Anyway get two (2) speakers for stereo, a definite must have. Use the speaker sims of course when going direct.
I played with the idea of getting an external dirt pedal in the loop (tubeman or similar) but that would ruin my efforts in getting a simplistic rig ...

To cut it short, I like my decent sounding setup. Not the best sounding rig I can imagine but good enough for the shitty bars I play anyway ...
I play original stuff, rock, funk, arpeggios, ballads, a tiny bit of metal, classic rock, punk, psychadelic, pop, power pop ... you get the picture : versatility is the magic word here.
If I was to play metal only, blues only or anything only I'd certainly NOT buy a GT-5 and get a dedicated rig.

BTW preferred it over the GT6. I can't see a valid reason for spending more bucks on that one. I don't got too into FX descriptions, it's eventually a matter of personal taste and preference. Things I never use are humanizer, ring mod.
Everything else gets used.

Like I said it took some time to get a dozen usable patches but nowadays, I spend more time focussing on playing and less on tuning the holy sound which is eventually what everyone should do.

I'd rate it 6/10 which doesn't mean anything actually
It simply means it's a good working TOOL
Good enough for me to stop looking for something better.
There IS obviously better gear out there ...

Es bastante dificil al principio, pero despues de trabajar en el 3 horas diaras durante 10 dias pude dominarlo perfectamente. El uso del control "PEDAL/ASSIGN" es bastante dificil pero despues de cogerle el tiro te das cuenta que es una gran caracteristica; El manual es mas bien deficiente. Encontrar el SETUP adecuado es dificil pero despues de eso el uso se vuelve muy mecanico. El software de mi unidad es V1.02, el cual traia un Bug que no permite subir los parches al computador (aunque si bajarlos a la unidad). De todas formas las versiones siguientes a la V1.06 ya traen solucionado este problema.

My setup es guitarra Yamaha RGX 1212s (Neck Thru) Head CRATE Stealth de 100W y medio Stack 2x12" hecho con parlantes Beyma en un taller de Audio. La unidad esta a la altura de mis equipos. Al principio salia un preocupante humm de la unidad, pero me di cuenta que era por estar muy cerca al computador; despues de reordenar my estudio el Humm desaparecio por completo y es realmente muy silenciosa (nada de hiss tampoco). Los efectos en general son muy buenos (Choruz, Reverb, Delay). El harmonizer es impresionante! configurando 1-voice, direct level =0, efect level = n, puedes bajar de tono la guitarra sin degenerar el sonido en absoluto como otros aparatos (ZOOM 3000s por ejemplo) y con el ajuste "Fine" puedes hacer un ajuste fino de la afinacion; no hay retardo entre la pulsacion y el sonido es "great".
El efecto Clean no tiene nada nuevo; tiene el mismo problema de siempre, demasiada compresion y un hiss desagradable.
El Wha es aceptable pero no es grande. Tampoco diria que es malo pero hay que configurarlo con el Autowah (con los valores adecuados a los parametros).
He podido obtener distorsiones con tonos cremosos muy buenas (buenas para ser una pedalera digital, pero aceptables comparadas con un sonido realmente profesional) aunque es tremendamente dificil encontrarlas (hay muchos trucos, como poner el OD/DS antes del PREamp, el Compresor antes del EQ etc.). Se pueden sacar sonidos bastante "poderosos" y limpios, pero realmente NO sonara como un Peavey 5150 o un Rockmaster.
Si me preguntan si he podido obtener el sonido de mis artistas favoritos la respuesta es NO. Mis artistas favoritos son Van Helen, Slash, y Petrucci; posiblemente los musicos podemos notar claramente la diferencia entre el GT5 y el "majestuoso" sonido de un Preamp de Mark IV de tubos, pero el pubilco en general, aun un buen publico No.

En sintesis el aparato es muy bueno, en este rango de precios y soy un amante de las pedaleras (procesadores de piso) ya que traen todo integrado en un solo aparato, aunque oviamente existen muchas opciones mejores pero mas complejas y mucho mas costosas como armar un RACK completo. Depende de lo que estes esperando de la vida con la musica ... :-)

Actualmente no podria tocar sin este aparato. La unidad parece un Tanque; la carcaza es de metal y no tienes que conectarle adaptador; trae cable directamente para el toma electrico; se ve muy robusta.

En Colombia no hay distribuidos de BOSS, luego no se, ni me importa realmente...

Toco musica de muchos grupos en ingles (Europe, Tesla, Deff Lepard, the police, Pick Floyd, U2, etc.) Tambien rock en espa?ol (Mana, Ratablanca, Caifanes, Enanitos Verdes, Juanes, etc.) He tocado desde hace 20 a?os. Estoy muy satisfecho con la compra de mi Boss GT5. No he podido obtener los sonidos que quiero, todavia porque el Preamp del CRATE Stealth no es muy bueno, pero esta unidad junto con un Preamp Rocktron Pirahna (recuerden lo que dije del Loop) y un Wha Cry Baby seria un equipo de miedo!!..

At take a while but this thing is amazing for most application.
Editing patches can be a little complex but are easy to manage if you have a good understanding. I've had mine for about 2 years now and just bought amother as a spare on ebay. The midi part of this thing is very powerful. I would suggest you try it.

My set up is as follows- ernie ball petrucci > gt-5 > VHT GP3 preamp > BBE Sonic maximizer > Looped back into the GT-5 > output to a VHT 2/90/2 > Genz Benz ported reflex cab (2x12). Then a midi cable to the GP3 from the GT-5 to midi control the channel switching, via the GT-5. I can get everything out of this. I mainly use the setup like this - clean, rhythm, and lead are controlled by #1,2&3 on th GT-5, I then set the "c" to switch from regular to manual mode to get the stomp box style arrangement. I was never really happy with the distortions but I let the VHT take care of that, Very Hot. I mainly use the reverb, delay, flange and pan. The main eq is what i use to match the room I'm in on any particular night. I don't like the direct into the board sound & had a problem using sure 57 to mic my cab. (very buzzy) I just bought an audex d4 (drum mic) that takes care of the buzz. The frequency response is tighter.

I've used mine for 2 years with no problem, I did buy a second cause I got a great deal. I origionally had some reservations about a all in one floor unit but it has held up well, gigging 3 times a week for 2 years.

never had a problem, thats a ten.

I do just about everything. Have been playing for 20 years and performing for the last 10. I would say the this box is just a link in the chain. It has quality & does many things. I will take a while to mess with it but is worth it. remember less is more so dont go too crazy!!!

I'm giving it a 1 here, because most people don't know how to use this unit properly to get the most out if it. And the manual does not spell it out. You have to look at these emulation devices differently than you do those little stomp boxes. If you don't know how to use it properly it can be very difficult to impossible to get a really good sound. Actually using this devices features and editing patches is not that difficult. Just takes a little time to become familiar with and then it will make sense.

My setup is one of my many guitars into the GT-5 and then into the sound board. This is the way it sounds best. When I practice I plug headphones into it and it sounds great. The GT-5 does not sound at it's best when you plug it into a guitar power amp and guitar speakers. Running the GT-5 into anything that is voiced for the guitar will usually work against what the GT-5 is trying to do. Here is my personal example. I use to run the GT-5 into the power amp of my PV 5150 head then to a 4X12 Carvin cabinet loaded with Celestions.
Clean sounds were great. Mild overdrive was ok. High gain sounds were a little less than ok at lower volumes, and sucked at high volumes. Chorus sounded good, wah was good, compressor was good for clean sounds and moderate overdrive, flanger and phaser was good. Reverb and delay was good on clean sounds, but sounded really digital and tiny when used with distortion. Lead licks sounded ok, but playing chords sounded like....well a train wreck. So right before I was getting ready to unload this on some other sucker, I decided to plug headphones into it for the first time since I bought it. By doing this I eliminated the need for any guitar voiced equipment after the GT-5. And was I amazed at the difference. The distortion and amp emulations come to life and sound like they are supposed to. The digital sound when using reverb and/or delay with distortion is gone. And it is much easier to get great sounds out of. So now on stage I run it straight to the mixing console and I have the best live sounds that I have ever had. The only reason I didn't give it a ten here is because nothing is perfect.

It has been dependable so far. And I feel very confident about it. I take a backup for everything. I'm one of those people that when I don't have a backup then something breaks.

Well I've been playing for 15 years now. I have a ton of amps, pedals,and rackmounts. I play rock and metal, but this thing will work for any kind of music. I would definitely buy it again if it was lost or stolen. This unit eliminates your need for a guitar amp, any other signal processing gear, and micing your cabinet. Simply put, the GT-5 solves a lot of problems and simplifies your rig without sacrificing tone, or sound quality. I absolutely love this thing now. If I would have reiewed this before I found out how to use it to get the most out of it I would have called it a piece of digital crap. I know there may be a few purists and tube freaks that will read this and say "bullshit". I know, I used to be one. You have to hear it to believe it. But, this eliminates the need for those NOS tubes, vintage 30's, non master volume heads, high quality output transformers, and all the other expensive tone generators. Because this thing accurately emulates all that stuff when you run it straight into a pa system.

Easy peasy. All the buttons are in front of you. It may take some time to MASTER the unit, but it's so easy to dial in a good sound immediately.

The GT-6 might have nice knobs on, and be a little bit quicker and prettier, but I don't mind.

Whooo... this thing sounds absolutely f#cking amazing.

Let me just say I have owned the following units : ZOOM 505, Boss ME-30, Boss GT-3, Korg AX-1000G, then a load of Boss / Electro Harmonix single ones (EH stuff sounds great but is built like CRAP).

Then when I had a go of one of these, I sold all my single pedals apart from a couple. The only real 'weak' effect are the distortions, but nothing come creative EQing can't sort out.

Plus, it has a INDEPENDANT FX LOOP, the ONLY in the GT series to do so. Even the GT-6 has an 'OD only' loop, which means if you want to use any other effect than OD in the loop, you sacrifice the onboard OD. On the GT-5 this is not the case, the external loop is an effect in it's own right, can be used WITH onboard OD, and increases the diversity of the GT-5 greatly.

Other features which set the GT-5 apart from the GT-6 are it has the niternal wave pedal which is ace, and 2 EXT sockets, meaning you could have 2 expressional pedals, or 1 EXP and 1 control pedal. On the GT6 / 3 it is either 1 / 2 buttons OR exp pedal. And the reverse delay, which is really funny and innovative, was ditched after the GT-5. WHY?? replaced with crap like Auto Riff and Defretter? gimmicks as opposed to something you could actually use on a recording.

Even Johnny Marr said these sounded good (apart from the distortions), so what's good enough for THAT guy, suits me fine!

Well, the GT-3 is a little sturdier than it's bigger brother, (metal jack sockets, metal exp pedal as opposed to plastic jack and exp on GT-5) but nothing to whine about. It's still rock solid and mine seems to have lasted since 1996.

This was an absolute BARGAIN, I've never been so happy about an FX unit purchase, and consider myself extremely experienced in multi fx AND single effects. I'm still really excited to fire it up and see what it's capable of, a week later.

I paid nearly the price for this for my ME-30 in 1998!!!! I would have died if I had seen one of THESE for that price back then! It was the dream machine (something like #600!), and it hasnt disappointed me even though its been 'superceded' by the GT-6.

I was going to buy a GT-6 but found there was little to justify paying #150 extra. You could argue the OD settings are not as good but thats about it. And for the saving you could get a really decent couple of extra pedals to get the exact sound you want. Really, don't be fooled by the extra 'bitrate' on the GT-6. You probably wouldn't notice. Your audience definitely wouldn't.


Thanks to so many people ditching their GT5s for GT6s in haste, you can get these at a bargain price. You will not be disappointed at all for the price... in fact nowadays they only fetch a bit more than the GT-3, and although the GT-3 is an excellent unit, think it's worth spending a bit more if you can afford it. The extra stuff just make it more desirable to me anyway.

Oh, did I mention that I LOVE THIS UNIT?!!! :-)

Not tough to get a decent jamroom quality sound if you are at all familiar with processors and "keeping it simple" would be my advice to new users looking to build a decent sound AT ALL with this thing. There are a few "deep editing" type features that I really enjoy (Like the very specific and effective "bottom" adjustment on the custom dist. But IF YOU START STACKING PREAMPS AND EFFECTS LIKE DIST. OR O/D AND THEN ADD EQ AND SO ON AND SO ON YOU WILL PAY! live and in a recording environment this thing suffers trmendously. If you plug it into a power amp (im using a mesa/boogie 50/50 cranked wide open) and only use the high gain custom pre-amp you can get a decent, and I mean that to the letter, decent sound.

The only reason I'm even going to a lousy 4 on this one is because the reverbs and delays and such are impeccable, as most boss effects are. The dist. sucks. plain and simple. IT SUCKS. No depth. I have to kill the mids because this is a mid-range furious unit, and then it sounds "washed out". I recently built a new simple rig from this unit, a Mesa/Boogie 50/50 and a Marshall 1960b cab. Ibanez 570's with Tom Anderson H3's in the bridge are the axes of choice. The MArshall and the Ibanez are the only thing I'm gonna keep. The customizeable preamp in the "utility" deep editing section is the only hope for a rock/metal/grunge tone. It still sucks though, when compared to a real amp. Like a 5150. If I was going to start over (and I am) I would have picked up a used 5150 for about 600 bux. I would NEVER have bought this thing. I would then get a BBE, a low end lexicon and a midi board and have came out a shitload heavier in the pockets. I hate to be a hater, but I've restructured my rig three times already around this thing, and not a single positive result other than the boogie finally got me a little sustain. The Noise Sup. SUCKS. The Humanizer Sux. The Speaker Simulator SUx. The EQ Patch is a Frickin TRAINWRECK of tone. It ruins even the most simple sounds and you will not be able to lose the familiar "processor" hiss and general tone flattening that they are so famous for. Cut the mids a little to make it deeper and you lose it all. This thing actually guides you down a twisted and distorted path of learning about eq's and compression for new users because nothing is standard. When I demonstrate to studio engineers and live sound engineers alike, they stand there scratching their heads. It's like Boss decided to make their own rules about what an eq and compressor are supposed to do. Sorry to ramble on. But this is a huge problem for me. I have also had tremendous "phasing" problems live and in the studio. Anywhere but the Jamroom, thie gain and dist. sound like a wah pedal opened wide up. For lack of a better simple comparison.

Very reliable. I wish it sounded as good as it is tough and reliable. It would be worth at least the discounted 450 bux I paid for it new.

N/A

I play Rock/Metal. Original stuff. I like to crunch and drive hard, but good tone has to start from the bottom. Keep it simple. Get a good amp, Get a good TUBE pre and power amp, whatever. Stay away from this crap and build it from the amp. If all you need is good reverb and delays and stuff, low end lexicons are even better than this thing. I have been playing guitar for 15 yrs. Gigging for 5, and searching for real tone for about 3 yrs. THIS THING AINT GOT IT. If it were stolen or lost? I would rejoice. A mere inconvenience. It's gonna be hard to get rid of. I'll tell you this much, I came home from the studio the other day and when I unloaded my stuff I left the gt5 outside on top of my trashcan in the driveway all night. It was cloudy all night and supposed to rain, but it didn't start even the first drop until I noticed it outside and grabbed it. Fuckin figures. Nobody will even steal the damn thing. I'm cursed, and for the money this thing costed me, plus a c-note, I could have a 5150 and I would gladly trade all the effects for the tone that it would provide. SERIOUSLY.

Once you master this unit you will have a friend for life. Not too difficult for the average musician.

I have it as a back-up for my main rig(Vox Valvetronix 2 x 12). I have used the GT-5 for years both as a stand alone guitar processor into a stereo power amp/cabinet rig and as a multi-effect into the effects loop of a Marshall stack. Both situations proved to be useful and sounded fine. The effects are Boss...what more needs to be said. I use an expression pedal to control delay level and use the onboard control pedal to tap in my delay time. This setup is quite useful for me. I use Ibanez guitars with EMG pickups and get a very clean sound with absolutely no noise. Not too crazy about the synth sounds though. Who really uses them anyway?

Built very well. Have had problems with the small "gain" knob in the back though. I have had this for quite a while and expect some type of problem.

Never dealt with them.

I play in a semi-pro club band(www.lastknightrocks.com). Have been performing for about 17 years. This unit will remain in my arsenal of required gear as long as it's alive. I feel very comfortable having this unit with me at gigs because I know that if my main rig goes down I can be playing in just a few minutes, even if it's direct to the FOH mixer.

easy to use, I can't even see, and I figured it out in five minutes. Just push the fx button for what effect you want, and tweek it.

This is where I have to say, it sucks. My friend has one of theese, going into a fender super reverb. His tone is horribly muddy, and just sounds like a bunch of flies. I thought, he just doesn't know how to work the boss, so I tried it through my rig. It just lacks any warmth whatsoever. All the fx are cold, and sound nothing like a boss pedal.

This pedal is extremely reliable, like all boss products.

Na.

I am so disapointed it's sad. I use 6 different boss pedals, od3, ch1, two ph3's, cs3, and ns2, and the quality of theese pedals just diminishes the gt5 completely. I can't find any use for it, unless you're in to metal, and don't care about your tone.

All of it could be adjusted with a touch of a button. It was simple to switch through all the settings to get the sound i wanted. I feel that this pedal is better than the GT-6 because it has the buttons and not the knobs.

I was using a Marshall combo ampsuperb for getting a sweet distortion sound. The pedal sound fantastic through the right amp, and this was the right amp.

Its dependable when gigged. It makes switching between sounds simpler than ever. Only one time the power switch came out and ruined the first 2 minites we played. But it wasnt the pedals fault.

Ive never needed help with the pedal, its so easy to use. Its never screwed itself up so i've never required the help. I gave it ten because i never needed to use the customer support line.

The greatest thing a guitaist can have. Its helped me with everything luve i've done. Its made it an ease.

It's all logical and simple if you once understand the basic systems. Instead, if you are used to know specific parameters on effects, you'll get confused, e.g.: compressor/limiter you don't handle with concrete db but with abstract numbers 1...100. Very hard to get real good sounds. Too much optiions to set the levels. Very, very hard to get e.g. 10 Presets onto the same output levels. Too hard To set basic sounds - too much tone controls on every preset - once you get lost with ist you loose control over your final amp-setting.

Overdrive, Distortion and Delay are awful. You must experiment a lot to get half way good sounds. None of the presets are usuable onstage or for recording. I use a 800-Marshall-Top, a JTm-30-Marshall-Combo, and an Engl Screamer Combo - put the Gt-5 in front they all sound like transistors then. My '64-Strat, my 81-Strat, my Brian Moore - they all come out like any cheap one.
Everything comes better when you take it for direct recording. It did not help me onstage.
I only use the GT-5 chorus, flanger, phaser, octavider, tuner and volume pedal right now. An Ibanez TS-9 will do the rest together with the 4-channel Engl-Amp.

Real Hard Stuff. Unbreakable. But weaks on the paramter-wheel, that does not respond properly after some months of use. And I am always anxious for the built-in power cord, a seperate AC-connection would be better.

Never used

I would not buy again for stage performing. OK for recording effects. Still my Hughes+Kettner Tubeman makes a more natural and more easy_to_turn_the_Knobs-Sound. All that Equalizers, highs, lows and presences - much too much to control. Final controls you make on your amp or your mixing console.

-- I'm German, sorry for mistakes, long time out of writing english..

I've had mine for about 2 years now. Once you unlock its capabilities, Its like a religious experience. This box can do some heavy things and I'm still learning. For the first year, it pissed everyone in the band off. Now they are shocked and amazed. Initially, my biggest concern was consistancy of sound. I use to puch it thru a soldano & found some of the settings do some funky things to tube amps. Now I push it thru a rack when I gig.

Les Paul - thru - gt-5 -loop a tubeworks 9002 - to roland 3030 - 1160 poweramp - genz-benz 2/12 g-flex cab. Very little noise at high volume. The gt-5 will produce some "YUK" noise if the individual effects are not EQ'd properly. I can get everything from Van Halen to Bush to STP to Creed and even some BB King if its late. My favorite is my David Gilmour lead patch.

Never had a problem, I wish they would have made it in a rack mount version.

Never had to use them.

I use a 4 cable method of hooking this up. It would be nice to have a rack unit with a midi cable. I like this unit alot but because they are discontinued I think I might go for a lexicon g series soon. Its built like a tank but I've already had one of the switches go bad.

This is an excellent unit, a very versatile one, with excellent overdrives and distortions, it has a deep interface, this is not a unit to plug and play like many on the market, you have to set the parameter at your taste, this is for someone who likes the Boss sounds and looking for a all in one floor unit.
The manual is not that deep, but there is on the web many places and groups where you can find usefull information on every aspect of the unit.

My setup its quite simple, I have a Yamaha Pacifica and a Les Paul Gold Top Standart to a a/b switch,to a Cry Baby 535Q, to GT-5 and Fender Stage 160 4 cable method. Using the amp preamp with the effects on GT-5...excellent. Using the amp simulators and cabinets...excellent too. Very good sounds out of this unit.

My setup is not noisy, nothing at all, if noise come out, there is the noise supressor, a touch of make up and the noise is gone.

In general, the effects are all quite good, some shine more than others but no complains so far. Overdrives and distortion are excelents, reverb spacy and chorus shines, a fun synth for those groovy minds. You can mix up to 15 effects so your combinations are endless. You have to tweak to get to the sounds, but once you understand the GT-5, it gives you just what you want.

Oh yes! you can depend on this baby, on a gig I throw away my guitar one time and it hits directly to my GT-5, belive me...not a scratch, I was lucky I think.
Backup...if you protect your unit from all the dangers, theres no need for one.

Mmmmmmmhhhhhh....this is the week point of it, no information, no resurces, and they sell everything.
Their web site is never updated, poor information and lack of support.
Come on Boss...you can do it better!!

An excellent unit for the price, flexibility (the best), features, effects, concept...lovely. Not many as this. Works really good with tube and solid state amps.
I've been playing for 9 years, I have the unit for one year, it looks like new, if it were stolen or lost...what do I do?....get a new one or get a Line6 Vetta.
Its a good unit for original stuff or a cover band, compare to the others GT's, I stay with this for the features and flexibility.
I wish that the unit could be upgrade in a way to improve its amp sims, cabs, effects, midi.
Try it, it worth it.

En principio,parece que tengas que ser un genio para entender el maldito cacharro,pero es todo lo simple o complicado que TU QUIERAS,me explico, puedes poner el sistema de modo manual, como si tuvieras los pedales sueltos e incluso puedes cambiar el orden de los mismos, o si quieres puedes perderte en todo tipo de parametros y equalizaciones y quebraderos de cabeza brutales, haciendo lo que te de la gana con cada efecto,que te puede salir el sonido ese que tanto te gusta o el mayor churro-intergalactico de la historia que te hara maldecir el caharrete,diciendo:-Esta pedalera, no vale para nada... cuando has sido tu el que te castigaste las trompas de eustaquio,por tocar botoncitos aqui y alla.Cuando pases esa fase,empezaras a comprender el cacharro en profundidad y te daras cuenta de que esta pedalera, no tiene precio.Empezaras a crear PATCHES de calidad superior,quitando por un lado, y poniendo por otro.Leete el MANUAL que sera una especie de biblia. Si alguien te la vende barata...NO DUDES EN COMPRARLA, en ese caso, es que el pobre pavo que te la vende, no ha pasado la primera fase.

JA-JA-JAAA!he probado la pedalera en amplificadores de valvulas y de estado solido.TIENES QUE EQUALIZARLO DE MANERAS DIFERENTES.Pero cuando lo logres...haras que tu ampli de transistores que suena como el culo,te suene de manera bastante decente y el de vavulas, de miedo.lo he probado con mi gibson les paul custom en mi JCM 800 ZW signature y...!TOMA CASTA?A! todavia tengo los dientes que se me mueven y tics en los parpados.Solo meti en manual el turbo-distorsion,el chorus stereo y el delay. No quiero deciros nada...He escuchado cosas como que no sirve, que es demasiado digital...etc.!QUE ME BESEN EL CULO! he sacado sonidos para mi otro ampli de TRANSISTORES desde un "bastanteparecido" Zakk Wylde sound, hasta el punch distorsionado de metallica en "and justice..".En el caso de las valvulas, lo dicho, solo que tambien lo probe en el ampli de un amigo construido por el mismo (es igual que un fender twin y marshall plexi juntos), y me dio por ponerle el CARLOS DISTORSION(Santana).!JAAAAAAAAAAAA! que cara puso el colega...suena ACOJONANTEMENTE BESTIAL,un sonido lleno y calido.AMO esta pedalera y creo que Dios tendra una igual en el cielo...el diablo seguro que la tiene...jejeje. lo peor el wah,pero el aparato para ser digital raya la perfeccion.

yo pienso,que si me dieran en el craneo con el, seria lo unico que me lo podria fracturar con lo cual ya es decir demasiado.Tiene un dise?o tipo antinuclear, y a veces lo he mirado imaginando si esta hecho de ADAMANTIUM.(??????)

pues seguramente si necesito ayuda,llamaria a la delegacion de boss/roland en Espa?a.

toco blues rock,heavy metal y un poquito de todo,desde mas o menos 10 a?itos, y Boss es la mejor marca que conozco en cuestion de pedales de efectos,con este artefacto,no se aburre uno en a?os si le sabes sacar partido.Siempre he estado vendiendo y comprando cosas y esto no lo pienso vender porque ,al final, sera algo con lo que la gente se de cuenta que no te dara problema de RUIDOS ni nada por el estilo, y equivale a CASI TODOS LO PEDALES BOSS, y no tengo que comprarme uno por uno e ir buscando por ahi...es una de mis buenas compras...
Cuando veas una GT-5 de Boss,mirala con respeto,es un autentico bicharraco con el que haras lo que quieras .Es para un guitarrista lo que el calibre 45 para Harry el sucio.

The real reason I'm writing this review is for the many, many times I've witnessed a band from around here called "Emotep" (And I wouldn't be surprised if you'd heard of them - They do a superb job of promoting themselves; http://www.mp3.com/emotep); the guitarist, Will, uses a GT-5, but DOES NOT use the distortion patches at all - In fact, what he has is a MIDI-capable JMP-1 Marshall pre-amp into a Marshall power amp and uses the MIDI capabilities of the GT-5 to switch patches on the Marshall head and at the same time uses it to switch effects and such. He has both lines to the preamp and effects loop in the preamp, as well as a MIDI line to the processor from the preamp. His sound is PHENOMENAL. I highly recommend using the MIDI capabilities available in this processor and taking advantage of just the effects and reverb available in this unit. And visit http://www.mp3.com/emotep - I guarantee you will be pleased.

this is an update on my earlier reveiw.ive just posted a web site for all you GT5ers out there ill need your help to fill it full of patches etc.we will all make a site for ourselves thats full of the stuff we want to see.please please please make this dream happen.visit http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/leesgt5/ and register with the group then you can add patches,links,photos and ask or answer any question there.LETS MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

AMAZING

its harder than a tank

to register(the easy way) email: leesgt5-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk
you know it makes sense!

DONT FORGET......................http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/leesgt5/ lets do it for each other!!

Yeah this thing seems a little tricky when you first get it, but its actually quite simple when you see where its going...i don't have a manual coz i bought it second hand but its easy enough to program the patches you need and assign them to certain places..

Iam using a Greg Bennett Signature as well as an applause acoustic/elec..(not sure of the model no.) directly into the Gt5 and into a Marshall Head / Quad box. I run in directly into the effects return to bypass the Heads preamp. doing that you have the luxury of setting up the marhsall preamp for another guitar which i do. Its no more complex than that. i used to have a rack of gear including lexicon processor and compressors etc. but it became to much fucking around...the Gt5 us really cool i think for both live / studio stuff.granted all of the distortion and preamp sounds aren't exactly like the real thing but they are still very useable if you set it right. all of you guys who get on here and say Tube power amp this or Valve this have to understand that not everyone can affrod that gear so don't be assholes about it...
i think most af the effects are good except for the guitar synth which is a bit slow to track the notes........

I think this unit is very touch ... just get a case for it to look after then buttons when travelling.

None Needed

I play in an alternative kind of rock band in australia.
I have been playing for about 7 years i own lots of other gear but i have to say that the Gt5 is a very good buy ....sure it doesn't have all the same characteristics of the gear that it emulates but i think that this along with the gt6 are definetely the best multi fllor effects you can buy anywhere...

this pedal is hard to master but once you get there its a dream come true.this is an update of my earlier reveiw and since then me sound has improved 100% i cant praise the layout of this pedal enough.its easy to edit patches as long as u use your head.

guitars.fender strat,gibson les paul standard.ibanezS520 crafter electro-acoustic,behringer v-amp(great also),boss EQ pedal and a trace elliot super tramp100w(shit amp...great cab)im replacing the amp head with a line 6 or acarvin legacy soon.let me tell all u dicks out there slagging this unit off for its sounds.....u go on saying "this sounds poo...and ive only been playing guitar for 1year!!" GET REAL..AFTER ONE YEAR U DONT KNOW WHAT A GOOD GUITAR SOUNDS LIKE ANYWAY!! i love this pedal soo muchits amazing.i have a lot of sounds of my favorite artists....iron maiden,joe satriani,steve vai,eric johnson,zakk wylde,brian may,nuno,robben ford,john petrucci,me,nile rogers,tower of power,larry carlton,steve lukather,ac/dc/metallica......loads and loads more too many to name.the only effects that i dont like is the frigging ring modulator...it useless. all in all this pedal can do it all. if you want to exchange patches and tips Email me(address below) im currently writing a book on the GT5,GT3 and GT6. i would love your input.im also in the final stages of posting a web site with PROPER PATCHES that actually sound great instead of all the shit thats on the web at the moment.!

back up...........HAAHAAHAAAHAAAHAAHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEEEHAAHAAA.
dont be silly. this thing will be around longer than any of us mate.i would trust this thing with my life.

never needed them. they should have a proper web site like LINE6 have with lots of sounds etc.

i play all styles of music from MAXWELL-METALLICA,SISTER SLEDGE TO SATRIANI AND VAI.if it were lost or nicked i would get another one a.s.a.p. but PLEASE get a hard case for it.just to stop the scratches.dont forget to Email me for help and advice on all the gt range.

Keep the owners manual to use in your fire place this winter. Thats all its good for. Once you get fed up with trying to break the "code"
so to speak, the GT-5 unlocks its secrets. After that its smooth sailing. Its so easy to use and Im still learning.

The sound quality is versatile. This was made with a lot of differant musical taists in mind. I am Playing it through a Marshall 8100 Valveste 100w head, 4x12 Marshall cab, a Crate bass amp (for my low end) through a fender 2x12 cab. With an Ibanez guitar. If you havent guessed I play Metal. It was made for it. A lot of people complaining
about the Wah. Its not a Vox straight through the Marshall, but if you've got the time, fool with it you may suprise yourself. No complaints here.

Ive dropped it Ive let it sit out and collect dust Ive hauled it around every degree of heat and cold ond once the bathroom flooded
and the carpet in the next room (where the processor was located) was wet. It still worked! Goddamn anyone who says roland/boss doesnt make good equipment.

Never had to.

Ive owned a lot of processors from Art to Digitech and practically every pedal on the market, They all have some flaw or you cant do certain things (Art: I couldnt have Chorus with the the harmonizer or
Pitch shifter). GT-5 is will spoil you.

This is a deep unit, so it demands some time from you to set up your sounds. I'd say the rewards are worth it. If you've played with other effects devices it's easy enough.

OK - Listen up GT5 players - I'll let you in on a GREAT way to use this thing for a band/live situation and get a variety of great, natural, non-digital amp sounds. I've tried a bunch of setups, this kills them all:

Amp - 1967 Fender Pro Reverb combo with "effects send/return" mod. This is a vintage tube amp, simple, cheap and plentiful on the used market. Any warm, clean-voiced tube amp (Twin, etc) would work good like this too. Here's the trick - The key is to plug your guitar into the GT5 and output the GT5 into the EFFECTS RETURN of the amp, NOT the regular guitar-input jack. This has the effect of bypassing the Fender preamp entirely, sending your GT5 signal straight to the tube power amp and out the speakers. Then, set up GT5 patches that utilize the preamp simulator (the Clean Twin sim works Great!). Make sure each patch you make has NO speaker simulator (or set speaker sim to OFF in the Global settings). You'll also have to play with EQ to get it just right. Now create a few extra patches with varying degrees of preamp crunch or additional effects and you're SET! The GT5 preamp sounds great because it's the only one in the signal chain (not fed into the amps pre) and any added mod or delay effects sound great because they are post preamp, where they should be. The tube power section in the amp warms everything up nicely and adds a lot of character. Suprisingly good for SRV, american blues, rootsy country rock, some classic rock. Not as good for heavy, marshall rock tone, but passable. This set up gives me the versatility of a "modelling" amp at a lower price, without sacrificing that old Fender tube vibe.

Bought it brand new - I've gigged with this setup every second weekend or so for the past three years - no problems! GT5 is like a brick, my only complaint with it's construction is that the pedals are too close together - sometimes I'll stomp the wrong one by accident.

No problems, never had to seek support.

I'm a big fan of vintage tube guitar tone and have been playing mostly blues and classic rock for the past 12 years. I originally bought this thing to use without an amp for a low-volume solo club act with sequencing (guitar Karaokee!) and just to use as a headphone toy at home. At first I never thought it would cut it for my band - too "digital". Boy, was I wrong! Tried using it in place of my old stomp boxes - didn't quite cut it. Then I tried the preamp bypass trick and WOW! It's like it just came to life! Awesome!

I've had my GT-5 for about 4 years and I'm still learning! The sound is excellent for straight on recording. Live I haven't used it much because it takes too much tweaking! With patience though I think it can be pulled off. Editing patches takes some getting used to and keep in mind what sounds awesome in your head phone may not sound that great coming out of your amp. The manual is pretty useless you've just got to play with the thing.

I used an old Yamaha six string electric and a Gibson SG special running through a Marshall stack. Nothing beats a marshall, but when you plug into this GT-5 you can totally lose yourself in the effects. It's like having all the boss petals ever made at your fingertips! The presets are funny! Pretty true though especially the Van Halen and Boston ones. They are a good base to build on though. Distortion is awesome if you learn to tweak the eq and the preamp along with some compression. The flanger is a bit annoying but the harmonist is sweet if you like that kind of thing. I don't mess much with the organ sounds. Check the Humanizer out it's wild! The wah does suck, but the auto wah works good. Get a Cry Baby for Wah!

No problems with this thing yet. It seems pretty tough and it's pretty heavy mostly metal.

Haven't needed them yet.

If you like lots of effects don't waste your money on millions of pedals! Also don't buy some cheap plastic multi effects board. Buy something like this especially for the studio. It's well worth the money and tons of fun!

I have exp. with editing on these kind of units so it wasn't too bad for me. Manual was good. The features it has are really good.

DISTORTIONS ARE VERY DIGITAL! Nothing worked for me and I tried all the tricks(before and after eq's, etc.) All other sounds were OK. You need to run it stereo.

Solid as a German tank.

Didn't need it.

Really good unit but use a dist. pedal in the loop (get a TUBE dist. pedal). I play 70's and early 80's hard rock - Zep,Floyd,Yes,Rush,etc. USE A TUBE AMP WITH THIS UNIT !!! The GT-5 is VERY cold and digital by itself. I traded it in for a Digitech 2120 tube preamp. I should say however that Boss pedals rule.

The GT-5 is my first multi-effects unit, but with a little direction it became easy to set up and edit patches. On stage I often use 3 patches and the pedal during a given song, and I've been able to set up everything and get even levels across patches.

I learned quickly the key to these things is tweaking the parameters. Listen to me girls, I just recorded my second album using only the GT-5. If you mess around with the distortion and speaker simulators, you can get great, warm distortion sounds. You can't tell the difference between these sounds recorded directly and those of a miked amp. No you can't. If you don't believe me please email me. It's wonderful to use this rather than fool with miking a freaking stack. All the sounds I've needed are very good with tweaking (auto-wah, delay, fantastic reverb, warm-and-slightly-dirty- to Marshall-stack-style distortion, chorus and phaser). I've heard people claim the wah is this unit's weak spot. I've only used auto-wah, but I wouldn't be surprised if the pedal-controlled wah just needs some fine tuning too.

No problems so far. Used on stage and carted around extensively without a hard case.

No experience.

There are many old-schoolers out there who'll argue until the veins in their foreheads pop that GT-3s, GT-5s and Pods don't hold a candle to their ancient Twins and Voxes, and they think it's a joke to suggest any simulator comes close. But the fact is many simulators are fantastic and sound just as good once you scrap the horrible presets. The sound is just as good, and you can record direct. You can record an enormous, distorted sound in the middle of the night without waking housemates or neighbors. I front a band, and I've had several guitarists with pdeals strewn all over the floor who say my GT-5 is okay, but doesn't get great tone. Then they play through it during a break and mess with the parameters and almost always grumble that a) they've been meaning to get a better distortion pedal anyway, and b) there's probably some effect on the GT-5 that's weak. That's guitarists for you, adddicted to their retarded array of pedals because they've gotten so used to their own sound, even if something better and more convenient is out there. Trust me here, I love having only my GT-5 to lug around. No batteries or patch cables to troubleshoot. I actually plan to try going direct into the PA at my next gig.