Boss GX-700

There are many knobs, so it 's easy but it's boring the scrolling screens. Good manual.

It follows my previous submit in french. First we are in 2000, so GX 700 was the best at his start (1996) but I think POD is a little bit better.The preamp is quite good . It modelling an real amp but not simulate ! Twin & Matchless is the best. 5150 is good and marshall too. I use only reverb effect: not bad at all. In a word don't listen to preset, just tweak it and you will be amazed. In fact in 2000 I don't know if GX 700 is still the best but try it. I discover every day a new subtil sound. There is very much parameters so you can refine every sound you dream. Very good cabinet simulator . It reminds me the Rocktron Chameleon one. The 7 distorsions (not Preamp !) are weak except metal and the OD s. IMPORTANT: For those who want to buy a BOSS GT 3 , you could'nt match a PREAMP with an another Cabinet Speaker in the GT 3 and for reverbs there are less parameters.
To sum up: Very Good sounds, I guess not very very closed to original amps but beatifull at listen.

Firmware 1.09 No problemo Man !!!

Bad Internet communication compare to LINE 6
No patch on the site.

Go on WEB and search patch editors and program , it'll be easy to tweak sounds ! I enjoy having Gx 700 but I will try the POD line 6.

Very easy to use with every thing laid out in a simple and logical way

I use the unit in my live rack going to a Rocktron power amp,Then into a 2+12 Marshall cab. My main guitars are an Epiphone Les Paul and fender strat both fitted with Kent Armstrong custon wound humbuckers.
I play in a covers band and the GX700 gives me all the sounds i want the chorus and reverb are very good but i had to work on the distorted sounds. I don't like the wha wha at all and find it very weak

The unit has never let me down

N/A

Apart from the wha wha the unit is great...If any one can get a good wha wha sound please let me know

The manual is ok..could be better....my firmware is 1.09...The only problem I have is that the input jack on the back of the unit died one day, and since then is is useless....the frount input works well...but the back is the one i regularly use, and it is a pain to route the cables to the frount of the unit...IF ANYBODY KNOWS WHY THE BACK INPUT DIES, OR HOW TO FIX IT WITHOUT A LOT OF MONEY...PLEASE MAIL ME AT "xander1369@yahoo.com"

reverb sucks...most of the effects are great...I'm betting the distortions would sound better if i had a tube amp...but right now they aren't that good...

BROKEN BACK INPUT.....

ROLAD SUCKS for support....There is no e-mail address...and they refuse to repair the REAR INPUT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS UNDER WARANTY....

Very happy with this until....see below

Good quality of sound until....see below

Can someebody help...have had this unit for 18 months, no problems, has been racked permanently in my studio for over 8 months when suddenly...no output! Sent for repair(no warrenty left, of course) came back, said it was a bad solder joint(?) funny that didn't show up for over a year in transportation, lots of shows, anyway, worked for about one week (back in the studio rack) last night, no output again!
Any tips I can pass along to the local (Montreal, Canada) Roland repair tech so I don't get another "bad solder joint" repaired?
Tried Roland, forget about it!

Can't seem to email anyone

Funny thing is, when this was working I liked the sound, don't really want to replace this, but have to seriously consider the pod pro or some other unit if this continues to break down for no apparent reason...I don't have time for down time!

This unit is very simple to understand since it is "built" like an stompbox fx chain and ( almost ) everything is visible.The chain is flexible 'cause you can put the fx:s in any order. It's little bit funny about the fx-parameters because they seem to have the same "setup" of parameters but that isn't correct. I don't know why but it doesn't have any volume parameter in the mod-section ( I think mainly on the flangers,phasers... )and therefore you need to compensate that volume in other ways ( which isn't easy all the time! ).
The fx-loop in it is a good idea but it's only mono and most processors are in stereo so you have to think once again when figuring out which external processors you may want to use in the loop...
I mean you don't want to use only 50% of that processor do you?
( Of course it's great if you'll only use a stompbox in it ! )

I think the digital fx ( chorus, flanger, delay...) sounds very good but the distorsions are a little bit "muddy"... if you put the gain too high you risk to loose the chance to hear all the tones when takin' your chords. Since I use my box with a gibson les paul/squire supersonic into a double amp section with valves, I have got the possibility to get the warm character to my sounds so I don't really know how the gx-700 sounds straigth into the board but it's ok when using headphones ( yep... even those small earplugs !)
My main influence when it comes to the space-fx sounds is the edge
( U2 )and it's possible to get some similar sounds of those he have put out but I always try not to imitate his sounds but getting my own spacious sounds ( and some can get really weird ! )

I have mostly used this rackprocessor at home so I don't really know if it can handle the hard knocks from being on the road.I don't have any backup either but that 'cause I'm not rich... but I'm planning to buy an another gx-700 too... so that must mean I depend on it in some kind of way...

I've never dealed with them... but I think it's poor to not put out the manuals on internet... ( not because I lost mine... )
I think that if you really want to know what you get before you buy...
you need to carefully read the manual of that product.

I'll put an eight in overall rating because it's simple to use and it have good sound ( the dist is a very heavy quest of what taste you've got.. )for not TOO much cost... think about it... if you think about buying any of those boss-stompboxes you'll get four maybe five
( new ones ) for the same price as the gx-700 ( in which you've got 21 fx and you can use 13 at once... in any order...)and in that case I would buy the gx-700 ( since you got 100 store slots in it... no need to tweak the knobs for every song ! )

This unit is very simple to understand since it is "built" like an stompbox fx chain and ( almost ) everything is visible.The chain is flexible 'cause you can put the fx:s in any order. It's little bit funny about the fx-parameters because they seem to have the same "setup" of parameters but that isn't correct. I don't know why but it doesn't have any volume parameter in the mod-section ( I think mainly on the flangers,phasers... )and therefore you need to compensate that volume in other ways ( which isn't easy all the time! ).
The fx-loop in it is a good idea but it's only mono and most processors are in stereo so you have to think once again when figuring out which external processors you may want to use in the loop...
I mean you don't want to use only 50% of that processor do you?
( Of course it's great if you'll only use a stompbox in it ! )

I think the digital fx ( chorus, flanger, delay...) sounds very good but the distorsions are a little bit "muddy"... if you put the gain too high you risk to loose the chance to hear all the tones when takin' your chords. Since I use my box with a gibson les paul/squire supersonic into a double amp section with valves, I have got the possibility to get the warm character to my sounds so I don't really know how the gx-700 sounds straigth into the board but it's ok when using headphones ( yep... even those small earplugs !)
My main influence when it comes to the space-fx sounds is the edge
( U2 )and it's possible to get some similar sounds of those he have put out but I always try not to imitate his sounds but getting my own spacious sounds ( and some can get really weird ! )

I have mostly used this rackprocessor at home so I don't really know if it can handle the hard knocks from being on the road.I don't have any backup either but that 'cause I'm not rich... but I'm planning to buy an another gx-700 too... so that must mean I depend on it in some kind of way...

I've never dealed with them... but I think it's poor to not put out the manuals on internet... ( not because I lost mine... )
I think that if you really want to know what you get before you buy...
you need to carefully read the manual of that product.

I'll put an eight in overall rating because it's simple to use and it have good sound ( the dist is a very heavy quest of what taste you've got.. )for not TOO much cost... think about it... if you think about buying any of those boss-stompboxes you'll get four maybe five
( new ones ) for the same price as the gx-700 ( in which you've got 21 fx and you can use 13 at once... in any order...)and in that case I would buy the gx-700 ( since you got 100 store slots in it... no need to tweak the knobs for every song ! )

This thing is pretty easy to use, if you're used to FX processors. You basically punch a button for each effect module in the chain, and then use the cursor keys and the Value knob to set the effect up. When you're done, press "Write" twice. There are some nice touches that make things even easier, like the Value knob being a pushable pot that makes scrolling through values faster. Also, when editing the name of a patch, pressing the Value knob toggles you between the upper-case and lower-case version of the letter you're on. Also, you can copy one effect's settings to another patch, which is COOL. Other manufacturers should do this.

I'm recording direct with this unit, direct into a Roland VS-880. It's not the quietest beast in the world, but the noise gate serves to keep the noise at sane levels. I'd say it's no worse than an amp with a bunch of effects on it. As far as the sounds themselves are concerned, there's gold in this box, baby. There is apparently a law in effect that says that all stock patches must be dumb-sounding, so ignore the stock patches. Of the amp sims, the Twin sim is the best, followed by the Matchless and JC-120 sims. The Marshall sim is okay, but sounds a little buzzy. The Soldano sim is nice and fat, but a little buzzy as well. I haven't played much with the Boogie sim, but have had ample time to, which is probably enough of a rating. The 5150 sim, same story. If I were a teen, I'd probably like it more than I do now. If 5150's really sound like this, I'm not interested. Something about a BOSS device that contains a digital model of a Peavey device is just wrong! The clean sounds are definitely the better sounds. They're really clean. The chorus, delay, and other effects are really nice. The distortion sounds aren't thick enough to suit me, and I think they're a little "Buzzy".

I used to try and emulate my favorite artists, but that has proven to be pointless. I can get a decent simulation of my favorite artists, but when I do that, I end up just sitting there playing songs by my favorite artists whenever I switch to the patch, and that's not what I want to do. I did that with my Chameleon, and didn't get much writing done. With this box, I'm basically throwing patches together that sound good, and moving on. Then when I stumble across them later, I just play like me.

To sum up:
Clean sounds=really good.
Distortion sounds=pretty good. Kind of buzzy.

I give it an 8, because to be a 10, it would have to be a real amp making my pantlegs flap, and it can't do that unless I wrap my headphones around my leg.

I'd say I can depend on it. It's a BOSS. It seems a little less sturdy than my Chameleon, with plastic jacks and stuff, but is reasonably well-built. I'd use it on a gig without a backup, but mainly because I'm adventurous in that way.

I've never dealt with BOSS. I've never had to have anything by them or Roland repaired, and never upgraded anything. It always just works!

I like this box. I used a friend's on a CD once, and I really liked it. (You know Bruce Springsteen? That's not who I'm talking about. Not even close.) If it were lost or stolen, it would probably mean that a bunch of other stuff got lost or stolen at the same time, so I'd be really upset. I probably wouldn't care too much about a missing FX unit. When I calmed down, I'd probably seek out another one. Or not. I don't know. It's just an FX unit, and I might want to try something else.

Some words in french:
Tres facile a utiliser car la notice est bien faite. Le debutant aura interet a s'y connaitre en acoustique( pour le reglage fin des reverbes) et en ampli pour le vaste choix.

Ma guitare Fender Strat Standard USA avec un SANS AMP Tech 21 GT2
Les disto sont bruyantes si vous les faites marcher pres de l'electronique (TV, moniteur,ordinateur) autrement ca va.
Bon reducteur de bruit. Pour le preampli, les son clairs TWIN et Roland JC 120 sont tres tres tres beaux. Il y a 3 types de Marshall. Le premier est pas mal du tout et riche en harmoniques. Splendides Matchless crunchy (comme les Stones ou Brian Adams). MEsa Boogie parfait pour des solos tout comme le 5150. Soldano permet de se croire Dire Straits dans Brother in Arms. Globalement la modelisation du comportement des lampes est tres bien faites et le son est modulable grace au coup de mediator. Les reglages sont important (3 niveau de gain et un bright) permettant de tirer par exemple de beaux sons clairs d'un Marshall. Bravo Boss
Tres bon: Chorus ,pitch
Bon :les 7 distos sont de qualite inegale et certaines sont interessantes a utiliser. Dans ces colonnes , beaucoup ont critique la reverbe (trop discrete) mais pas sa qualite. Elle peut etre superbe en reglant le subtil dosage DRY/EFFECT
J'allais oublier le simulateur de haut parleur .IL est vraiment super efficace. Les 12 types de HP me permettent de jouer au casque avec un son incroyable . Il me rappelle l'excellent simulateur du Rocktron Chameleon.

Firmware 1.09 No problem man !
De plus je l'ai achete d'occase.

Pour le prix c'est incroyable. Toutes ces simulations d'ampli et de haut parleur. Bien sur les vrias amplis sonnent encore mieux mais au total c'est 30 fois plus cher !!
CONSEIL: J'ai failli acheter le GT 3 Boss. La grande qualite sonore est identique mais attention , les possibilites de reglages sont inferieures sur le GT 3 (pas de choix de type d'enceinte pour le simul. , reglages reverb plus rustiques)
Autre conseil: Achetez un PC et relier le cable MIDI au GX 700. Puis telecharger des editeurs de patch sur le net , cela facilitera grandement la programmation des sons et leur sauvegarde. Il y a pas mal de patch GX 700 sur le net.

Just a short note, the GX-700 is a wonderful box, but please folks, do a hardcore comparo in a local store trying out the Digitech 2120, 2112, 2101, and ValveFX before you go ahead and buy the GX-700.

I've spent countless hours with ALL of these units; I now have owned the 2112 for 2 years and nothing is as good. But I do also now own a GX-700 and Roland GP-100, because I got them used and cheap, and they are fun and good, but do not sound as close to a tube amp as the 2112 does.

Please read the 2112 reviews; I'm serious, I simply want buyers to be informed as possible before buying.

I love Roland.

Acceptably easy to use. Controls are laid out right up front with easy access to turning on/off the various components that make up the patch.

I use this direct into my console live or for the studio and with some tweaking to the patches I get great results. I use several acoustic guitars through this device and it's fantastic for that. I run a Martin J1 with the Baggs pick-up/mic combo, Gibson Hummingbird, and Cort with Fishman electronics and have designed some awesome patches that bring these instruments out in a mix or on stage. I also run my Fender Strat Plus with lace pickups through it and have come up with some very good patches for it. At first I tried hard to use the stock presets, but, as far as the distorted/preamp'd stuff, they were too buzzy and pretty much useless, however I did use one that fit into a mix fairly well. I don't use the reverb in the unit...it doesn't come close to my Rev 500. You really need to sit with the device for a couple days and design your own sounds. I start with a preset and go from there. Very easy to program a patch, name and store it. Also great feature when getting ready to store an edited patch; you can audition other locations first before writing to one so that you son't wipe out anything important. I just wish that MOTU would make a Unisyn profile for the unit so I can tweak and save stuff to my Mac. It can get noisy, but the built in NR works fine and with some tweaking you can get it quiet enough in the mix.

So far it's been rock solid

N/A

I like this device. I use it with the FC-200 foot controller and it works really well for all my guitars. Especially great for my acoustics which might be a weird thing, but I find it incredible for this. Someday I'll pop for a VG 8 or something big time, but this unit is a good buy. The one thing I think is tough, in terms of $$ output, is that the FC-200 is expensive and you really can't use the thing live without the foot controller...so your in for up over the $5oo mark and for that you might be able to get an all in one device like an ME-30 or GT-3. It all worked out for me in a unusual way...friend of mine said he had some sort of midi controller stuffed in a closet somewhere and it turned out to be the FC-200. I wouldn't want to trade this device for anything else at this point, mostly for the acoustic guitar application. I think there are probably better units out there that will get great lead sounds. I tried hard to come up with the sound that Vanhalen get during the credits music in the movie Twister, but I could only get so close.