Boss ME-33

Easy to use once you read the manuals.

Very versatile sound,(metal, rock, country) can create lots of tones and sounds. Great with any type of amp, because of it's amp simulator. Wide range of distortions.. (overdrive to metal amp simulator really gives a fine distortion metal sound) and chorus, delay, reverve.. anytime you can imagine.

Really dependable, even me-33 alone can withstand every musician's need.

Great gear... been playing over a decade, rock ,blues, metal.. also been using a varity of stomp boxes. The only sad thing is , it is not made of any metal casing. But still a great gear to start or even a long time player...

Once the manual is used and you learn a bit about it, its pretty simple

I couldn't imagine anyone using this without tweaking the sounds. I'm still trying to get a distortion im happy with, the distortions for some I found were a bit overdone and too noisy

I can confidently use this without fear of it presenting problems. If I upgrade it will still be a good backup.

N/A

I found the unit to be reliable, I don't take the best care at times and its lasted me a couple of years gigging and jamming. The manual was easy to follow and is nessecary to get the best from it. The clean effects are good however I haven't been able to get a distortion Im entirely happy with, I try and bypass for this when I can. It is annoying how this can't be doen whilst playing (bypass switch isn't foot operated). The transfer between effects is pretty clean. It has been the perfect introduction for gigging but am now wanting more in the way of quality in effects and features such as fade outs and a proper bypass.

ok...you have got to read the manual before understanding what is going on at the pedalboard. i tried without reading and i get no where with it.
editing was easy but the only problem is the knobs, if u were to make changes to previous settings you have to turn is back to zero then from there turn to the desired value which makes it irritating.
the manual was easy to read and understand, clear-cut explainations.

my setup are as follows: Epiphone SG > crybaby > MT2 > Fish & Chips EQ > Boss ME-33 > peavey studio pro 112. all pedals are powered by visual sound 1spot adapter.

It gets noisy when i added in the ME33 in my rig. could be due to the adapter i'm not too sure either.
the effects are not-bad quality, of course not very good as compared to analogs but this is a multi effects which u cant compare with analogs. It doesnt sound like shit either as compared to those cheapo multi effects.

One thing which i don't like about it. you cant activate the bypass function with any of the footswitches. There is only a small button to switch to bypass mode. So here comes the problem, i wanted to use the ME33 modulation effects but not the distortion where i can get from my MT2. Therefore i preset everything...stomp on my MT2 and then i cant access the patches within the ME33 when it is on bypass mode. You have to exit the bypass mode first to activate the play mode then you can change patches here and there.

i've used zoom GFX8 before, it allow u to bypass when you step on the footswitch which you are currently using. As in you off the patch you're using and it goes automatically to bypass and tunner mode. Which is appparently more suitable for me. i can activate the effects as and when by stomping on one of the footswitch patches and there i have it.

i can depend on it.
gig without a backup is a no problem.
but as you know..this is made of plastic so it wont last in the long run if you are a hardcore user who doesnt take special care of your gears.

i've never encounter any problem with my ME33 yet. therefore i've never visited or call up the company

i play metalcore, blues, and funk
if it's stolen i will not get it replaced again
since i'm only using modulation effects from multi effects processor i'm consider the small Zoom GFX-1 which is very handy and it has all the basic effects. and of course bypass mode is easier to access as and when i wan the effects to jam in.

the mfx has a lot of effects in it. it also has a bit of effect selection for you to choose (fx1 and fx2) and i bet you can get a quality sound out of it. for editing patches, this is a total loser, you cant really tweak the effect at once. the trick is you should go " past"to the original "knob" value of a parameter for it to get around somewhere (you'll know it when you get one). The manual i got is japanese, but all in all if you got time to learn the mfx (lets say 30 mins or so), youll get into the basics. but the thing is if you use its "quick edit" thing, believe me itll get you through most of your rough times specially on the "tone" section (just make sure you have an eq in your fx chain :) ). ill give it a 6 coz its hard on the knees to edit it in "edit" mode.

I have a handful of guitar and i want to review the Boss Me-33 alone.. i have used it thru a marshall jcm900 combo. it isnt noisy "if" you dont really overdrive your drive settings. the effects seemed good but what i really dont like are some of its effects like.

wah - reason is untweakable. but can qualify as nice.
acoustics - also untweakable. but can qualify as nice.
metal (dist)- too mids, too fat alone, not gainy though
dist/fuzz (dist) - not my type
pitch shifter - it cant simulate pitch shifting nicely, it sounds horrible..
auto riff- this is shit, but usable in a weird way.

but all in all, if you know chain effects then you wont get any trouble getting nice sounds. because the effects here sounds incredibly unbelievable for a processor.

it sounded really like of an analog (if you go through the headphones) you can really hear your guitar's characteristics, it is "unharmed".

when im practicing, i usually use the effect pickup sim (single coil)>blues driver> eq > Match (matchless sim)>reverb and i cant believe it when i turn my guitars volume to lets say 3-4 i can get a somehow acoustic tone to it, and if i scoop my guitars volume to 10 and i can get a somewhat like shredmasters stack!. the pickup sims works!!, it can sound like a telecaster or a stratocaster.. but still you cant beat the real thing, only using this can somehow minimize the changing of guitars.. if you tweak it right you can get mostly the best, and i dont overgain my settings a nice combination of 40-50 gain is nice enough.

when im into shredding, i use pickup sim (humbuckers = 100 **to beefup the tone)> Od >Eq> Ms stack (i dont know but it somehow sounds like a Mesa rectifier)> Reverb. i have a total gain of again, 40-50. and if tweaked correctly (or tweaked from the quick edit), youll get an amazing tone, i can sound like michael angelo batio, if i want to, or go doing petrucci solos. but i create my own tone so nothing to worry about trying to be somebody im not, its sound is damn right amazing and REMEMBER use Overdrives only if you use your AMPS real gain, not DISTORTIONS or METAL DRIVES because it will really get muddy!! (also in a real dist>amp situation). listen to my new recordings at www.soundclick.com/sidpablo

i will try to give comments on the effects i mainly use .


pickup sims - this is really awesome you can sound both (single coils or humbuckers). the single coil somehow sounds like more of a telecaster. and sometimes i use the humbucker emulation to give more tone to the input signal.

FX1/fx2 = i cant remember all of the effects but will try to give some reviews on it

comp - compresses sound nicely, good for jazz type solos, but doesnt sustain long enough.

phaser - is nice and tweakable, can get a little bit out of hand if not tweaked correctly.

eq - has a tweakable mid-Q for more shape. and is very useful when in quick edit mode (though ive noticed that only the highs and the lows are being tweaked and the middle/mid-q is left behind)

humanizer - is a nice auto=talker, try to experiment with this one.

od-Fat-blues - i like all of these od/ds types, the od is bright and has a nice mid, the fat has scooped mids, and the blues is downright like the blues driver, it has a tubey tone!!, thats why i cant believe my ears is hearing this from a processor. this is great if added thru an amp simulation

AMP MODELs - all are passable, not the exact though but passable as is, youll get the twin/match for clean sounds, then you have the BG/MS stack and METAL drive for extreme sounds. the BG sounds too thick to me but can be shaped up using the right settings, the MS has a nice bright sound that can go to about every sound possible, the metal drive is dark and good for heavy riffs, but i love the Ms stack way much better.

MOD

chorus/flanger/trem - its because i hardly use modulations, ill try to give some comments to it. the chorus is nice, you can sound like pantera if you tweak it

a bad thing in this pedal comes when used in a program, like patch 1,2,3.. if you go from patch 1 to 2 or 3, there is a scissor cut on the sound.. similar to zoom products.. this is bad, though you can get the trick by using dlys as it passes through the patches, somehow making it seamless. another is the manual mode, yep you can eliminate the cut though but when you trigger the amp pedal and the mod pedal, problem is the magnificent scissor cut comes in full throttle, making the manual mode... boink...

the whole mfx is plastic, and the pedal really doesnt stay full, most likely on the pitch shifting, but on the wahs and volumes they are sturdy (i dont know maybe the guitars altering something or so..) but the patch switches seems heavy duty (though its plastic) it doesnt show any sign of malfunction.

but i wont gig without backup, ill atleast bring a lighter mfx like an ax10g or so. but the main thing is always bring backup even a good old 505 will do, if youre into gigging without your own amp..

i think it will break if not handled properly, im using a boss psa-100 adaptor with it so i think it wont die on me that easily (good power supply means stable,long life unit), so atleast ill give it like 7 more years and if so... over that period, dont rely on it anymore.

2nd hand, just trying to hear this unit. though no online manual is available, ill give it a 2 for that,

got it repaired?? dunno..

for 5 years prior to its manufactured date, ill give it an additional 7 more years. and i think boss wouldnt even recognize this model.. stupid boss company not giving an online manual for a discontinued product, not good at all.

ok im a solo artist and you can here my music at.. listen to my music recorded through a boss-me33 (www.soundclick.com/sidpablo ) (the first and second went through the boss me-33, the others were recorded thru a zoom gfx-8 as is).

im into a lot of music influences, i went on straight Rnb, Jazz/Blues, Rock/Metal, Alternative/Emo anything that has guitar on it. my main influences are mostly shredders but i strive to get a better career out of guitar playing through my own fretworks. ive been playing almost 10 years now and went through a lot of mfx's but boss me-33 somehow delivers an "excellent sound" with bad programmability/reliability and casing. no wonder they discontinued these products

if it were stolen, still i would get mad, cause it can still be used as a chain of effects (can get a possible of 3 modulations +DLY+REV+noisesuppressor+FOOTpedal presets), i think id rather save some money on a podxt live, buy looking at the picture of the unit it seems that it has all that is needed. but still i would get another or a used gt-3 just for the modulations and etc..

i love the sound quality, but programming it and using it live is not good at all, with all that scissor cutting shit, it is pretty annoying. the quick edit feature somehow is reponsive and is the best way to edit fast.

hmm comparing it with something like the gfx-8 or ax1500g it comes close with an ax1500g, only good thing about the me-33 is the array of effects and good sound quality. other than that i think ax1500g blows this unit in simplicity/reliability. but gfx-8 wont come any closer to the boss me-33, only with its hard metal casing.


I only wish it had better programmability, and the scissor cutting shit shouldnt be there (older me's doesnt have these shitty cutting) and the new me-50 isnt worth the money with only a few pedals to work with and not good programmability too PLUS it has no equalizer... shit...

it made music with me if youre trying to ask.. listen www.soundclick.com/sidpablo (first two songs used with boss me-33).. and maybe more to come)..

all in all, it definitely guarantees an excellent sound quality, if tweaked properly, if you are not that patient in getting any nice tone out of it, chances are youll have a thin or muddy sound with it.

i hope this doesnt sound like a bias review..

The menu and features are really very well laid out. Navigation certainly isnt a problem. The LCD display makes life so much easier since you can immediately see the effects which are chained together. But havent spent too long with the product. Still discovering it, hence will rate it an 8 right now. Will probably come back and post another review when I am more familiar with it.

As already mentioned by some others, the feature where you HAVE to turn the knob past the original value is really annoying and a bit defeating. That way you do discover what the original value of a parameter was but once you have tweaked from there you cant get back to it. Unlike this the AX1000G (which I also have) displays a small "ORIG" in the display EVERYTIME the original value of the parameter is dialled in with a knob.

I am a little concerned about the sound. The first thing is a very audible buzz which I get the moment I switch on the unit. I realised that I am not using an original BOSS PSA 120 adapter but what the heck, that same adapter works perfectly with my Korg 1000G !!

And since I am plugging my acoustic into the ME-33 the buzzing becomes quite untolerable after a while. Hook it into a PA and you may as well pack and go home.

I'll try and get a better quality adapter and check this thing again. Till then I have my doubts about the sound.

The patches weren't too exciting either. I tried to tweak the knobs for distortion/EQ/compression but they seemed largely unresponsive. At certain points I ACTUALLY thought that the knobs were not working. But the display shows a change in value whenever I tweak a knob. Then what could the problem be ?

Consider this, I dialled in SUSTAIN to full on the compressor and even then my guitar wasnt sustaining for more than 3-4 seconds. And the noise gate was off.

I am quite spooked with this thing. But since it is just a month old I am determined to spend time with it before I write it off.

Well, with the buzzing problem which comes and goes I am not sure if I can plug it into a PA in a live setting. It looks decently sturdy for live use otherwise.

Not dealth with them. But I really wish Boss would create a special section for archived products on its site. Its common sense really. It helps in evaluating their newer models better if we can go back and compare with the older versions, which we may have used.

I play both rock and acoustic but why I bought this pedal was for the latter. Its just a month old so am still trying to get to know the processor and get decent patches made for it. Personally speaking, the buzzing problem because of the adapter is a HUGE let down since it seems to be quite uncurable. The idea of shelling out extra chips for the adapter is silly. We musicians are always on a budget. If we could shell out another $25 dollars for an adapter then we could also wait and buy the GT-6. Besides this is cheap marketing. You are just hiding an important element of the cost only to surprise the customer later. This is like saying "use original fender strings on a fender guitar or else it wont ever get tuned".

ok the unit is definitely cool when using the quick edit knobs.... but when you go to editing directly (manual)... the thing really sucks... you have to tweak the knobs back and forth so that a parameter would move.. that certainly sucks... though it is really easy on quick edit.. (especially the equalizer)...

ok heres the thing i bought it because of the harmonist nothing more... the amp sim is weak as well as the od/ds... seriously it is weak... like have the gain of the original pedal... nothing simulates anything.. but as far as the sound goes it is really great.. in the sense that if you combined the two (amp + od/ds).. i have recreated my usual tone... and im not the kind of guy that copies every tone i want... mostly because im into composing.. the wah has a nice range but is lacking... the mods, dlys, rev, are great... the acoustic is somehow realistic... all in all it does most of what i wanted...

bad thing is the patch pedal... which consumes like .5 sec to load... that sucks big time

i can depend on it as long as it stays without malfunction... though the tuner and bypass is not as reliable as it seems and the pedal doesnt stay in full (it gets quirky at full blast)... at least it gives me a nice tone both in live and recording...

great... but there are more better fx than this unit... but it blows much fx like ax1500g and gfx8....

Takes a little getting used to, but makes sense if you read the manual/

My setup: Fender Telecaster Thinline '72 Re-Issue > ME-33 > Marshall AVT150 half stack

This thing SUCKS tone! All of my sparkle is lost. Wah is no crybaby, distortion sounds fake. I never use this thing anymore, only for the pitch blend for techno like sounds (very fun). Sounds great on paper, all of the boss effects in one box, but nowhere near the quality of individual effects. I must say I did have some fun with it at first when I was a beginner though, before I realized what it was doing to my sound.

Never had any problems

Never called them

I play lots of random stuff, and this is good for getting lots of different sounds, but only really as an introduction. I couldn't notice it killing my tone very much on my tiny crate, but once I got my marshall it became apparent. If you are a beginner and just want to try lots of different effects then go ahead and get it, but I recommend individual effects. I wouldn't replace it if lost/stolen and am selling it soon.

Overall it's easy to use, but the fact that you always need to rotate the knob until it passes it current value before it activates is very annoying.

I have been using it with my Strat (all Dimarzio HS-3 pickups) and Ibanez JS-1000. This thing kills the sound even in bypass mode. Most effect sounds bad especially overdrive/distortion type. Those amp simulators are hopeless. You can't get any good sound out of it. The overall sound quality is poor like it's been proceed through a low resolution ADC/DAC unit (sounds like 12 bits instead of 24 bits).

It's very durable. Never give me a problem.

Never have to call the support.

I have been playing instrumental/rock for more than 20 years. My current favorite artists are Yngwie and Joe Satriani. I had used Boss stomp boxes for many years before I upgraded to previous multi-effect unit (DOD-8). I bought this unit because of its amp simulator, but I am so disappointed with the quality of the sound.

Pretty easy, it has to be because the manual is less than wonderful.

Copy, move patches, edit, save, all VERY easy. It also sounds good run on batteries in a re-chargeable Pignose at mu Son's scout campsite

Also the bank switching and identification are very easy. The Wah Wah
sounds are very good, and the pedal doubles as a volume control, this is VERY useful with my Gibsons with Varitone. The varitone clips volume when rotated past the "bypass" mode, the volume pedal makes that very easy to fix without goping near the amp, OR nuying another $100 volume pedal.

Excellent sounds, with solid state, AND Tube amps, BUT my line6 spider II doesn't like very much in the way of pre-amps, so it's best to keep the gain low. Very little noise, and VERY few effects that sound trashy.

I can do a LOT more with this than my ZOOM GFX8. Hands down.

Boss had a winner here, the excellent display made you feel at home
while newer versions make me feel like I'm groping in the dark.

I've owned mine around a year now, no glitches at all, but you MUST use their DC power brick, not another, I don't know why.

N/A

I use it in Four amps from a Marshall 15 watter to a Quad reverb, all
sound great. I'm looking for another used one as a backup because
I do not like the newer Boss ME-50 at all. Wouldn't buy one of those
at all.

boss me 33 is very easy to use, everytime you need a last minute change of the settings you can immediately change it without any hassle. to get a good tone you must know each effect available on the manual.

im using a very cheap guitar and amps but still it sounds great with this unit depends on how you you use it well. ive encountered noises that i dont want when i first used this unit but ive found out that its the wires that causes the noises and not me 33 so right away i bought new expensive noise free wires. the effects are very strong and sounds great. you can simulate the sounds of incubus with its great delay

the boss me 33? very dependapble in fact i always used it without any back up at all

i havent met them

i usually play hard heavy metal sounds, love songs, etc. im a very versatile player and every versatile player must have this baby coz everything is in this unit. this is my first gadget and im thankful for it and im only a beginner. if it were stolen i would look for it if not i would somehow look for the money to buy it again or maybe id try the new boss me-50. i love everything about this unit but as the saying goes nothing is perfect i have to complain about the presets and no offense.... it sucks!!!!. i like the manual feature coz it simulates the use of individual effects. ive compared it with other feature if i were to rate it by ratio id say its 1:10 in favor of me33. i wish it had a separate wah,pitch,volume switch and a good set of presets and an ac adaptor. it helps me make awesome tones

It's very easy to use even with no manual. Even so the manual Is very clear and easy to understand. Editing patches is terribly easy, a monkey could learn to use It.

My set up is modest. My main guitar is a Dean Avalanche MQ, A Squier Strat Bullet edition and a Fernandez Nomad Deluxe as backup. And a Fender Bullet amp just as a monitor (because I go direct from the ME-33 to the console), sometimes I use my Behringer Blue Devil amp too.

The BOSS ME-33 sounds as you want It to sound, you can tweak yourself into sound heaven with this baby. You just have to 1) read the manual 2)know how to chain the effects 3)realize that the unit has Its limitations (Get real, This Is not the GT-6) 4)Be patient to get the sound you really want (Don't be discurraged) 5)Realize you cant expect to sound like Kirk Hammett If you have a $100 dollar guitar & amp, as well as cheap noisy cables(DONT GIVE NEGATIVE REVIEWS JUST BECAUSE OF THIS YOU PEOPLE!! THIS LITTLE MACHINE WORKS GREAT)

I love playing anything from rock(classic, metal, contemp) to jazz, pop, etc. My work requires versatillity. My personal intrests are: SRV, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Van Halen, Led Zepp, Deep Purple, Metallica, etc. You can't really sound exactly like all of your favorite artists due to the fact that they use complex setups (reffer to harmony central's guitar articles). All you can really do Is try to emulate them, and you can fairly say you can with this machine. Its awsome for Its price!

I can depend on It, Ive used other fx for the same price and have alwais let me down. So far this unit has been a surprise and I've been using It without a backup.

I have never dealt with them

I've been playing for 14 years have had a lots of amps, fx, and other stuff. I love this one because It has quality, and Its great to have this machine if you can't afford something fancy to use It and in the meantime save for something more PRO knowing you don't have to worry about being let down in the middle of thi gig as others do(zoom comes to mind).

I would buy a new one if were stollen. I love the easy-to-understand-interface, the knobs(for fast tweaking), the led screen(for on-stage visibillity), the on-screen menu(realy love this one), the pedal light indicators(for fast bank changing). I don't really use the other features like the phase trainer and that other stuff.

Overall, this is a great value. Bottom line is: IF YOU WANT TO SOUND LIKE THE GUITAR GODS GET EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT AND STOP BITCHIN ABOUT GREAT VALUE MACHINES LIKE THE BOSS ME-33. DONT LOOK FOR YOUR 8" AMP AND YOUR PAWN SHOP GUITAR TO SOUND LIKE METALLICA, AND DON'T EXPECT THE UNIT TO WORK BY IT SELF YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH IT TO GET IT ROLLING.

This multieffects unit is a floor-based unit is is very easy to use once you read the manual. it works on a menu system (which I prefer) to the wierd system used on the recent ME-50. I love the manual system because it is like having a virtual pedal board at your disposal (although only 5 can be turned off/on in this mode). And editing is very easy, and with digital knobs, a small number of knobs can control many different aspects of the sound.

My main guitar is a 2002 model Fender American Deluxe Telecaster and a 2002 Fender Hot Rodded American Double Fat Stratocaster. My setup include those two guitars run through my Holy Grail, ME-33, and Boss's Digital Delay/Reverb pedal. The ampliflier is use is a new model Fender pro-tube Twin Amp. The sound is crisp and clean and I find the distorition to be quite good when running it through my amp's second channel. The sound quality is excellent in my opinion and I just love it. The only problem is that there was a delay when switching patches. I usually use the manual mode, but when switching patches I almost always use my delay pedal with some reverb to effectively "mask" the moment of silence.

it is fairly new so i trust it would be reliable for a long time. I wouldn't need a bacup

never needed any

I'm in a band where we play this wierd blend of classical rock and techno. I almost never use distortion which is probably the reason why i love all the effects in here. It works great with my twin amp and my telecasters although i really hate the sound of humbuckers so i never use my double fat. I have been playing classical guitar since i was 10 (i'm 20 now) but have converted to electrics at around 15. I own this, the holy grail, the twin amp, the tele, the strat, but i use all of this in conjunction with the korg kaoss pad as well as rack-mounted tuner. I would definetely replace this if stolen or get the gt-6. My favorite feature is the reverb. it is not very realistic but it goes on for a while and is quite good.

It's pretty easy to use, no real dramas in this area.

It's an interesting one because some of the effects are very handy and others are a complete waste of time. I particularly liked the delay, reverb, flange, phaser and a few other cool things including the volume pedal.

However if you want a nice distortion tone, you won't find it here, sounds too digitalised, you would be a lot better off with a natural valve distortion or a MT2, Big Muff or DS1 pedal.

The Wah sounds pretty average, doesn't have a nice tone to it at all. The Amp modelling is a complete waste of time, as they sound nothing like the amps.

It is reliable, however for a live show I really hated the delay it took to change from 1 effect to another, something that really needs to be instant, but there is a period of half a second to a second of no sound, when switching...very annoying.

N/A

I give it a 6 overall, it is handy, but not for all the effects, it's compact and easy to use. But NEVER use wah, any distortion sound or amp modelling. It has a problem with general "humming" coming from it when plugged in, which I don't like. Oh and I didn't mind the tuner, which came in handy too.

I'm very impressed with the Boss ME-33. It is very easy to use and with the manual you can generate any sound you want. Editing patches has been awesome. I play lead guitar in a worship band at church and this covers all my sounds from a nice smooth chorus, delay sound and a mild distortion. When at home I have sounds for every type of guitar player from Jimi to Randy Rhodes. The manual is very easy to read and explains how to get an exact sound you want. The sound options are endless and in great variety. If you're having a hard time trying to figure out sounds they have a easy sound setting where you can pick from blues, country, rock and metal. Plus, you can pick from 6 different sounds for each one. Unbelievable. There is also a copy for sounds so you can move them from one patch to the next. I

I use a fender strat with seymour duncan humbucker pickups (for single pickup sizes) and a fender princeton DSP amp. The Boss ME-33 compliments my sound very good. I have been playing with a DODFX-7 for a couple of years and it served it's purpose but I've been wanting to change my tone more. I've played single pedals before and to me there isn't much of a difference. I think the best thing is how you can modify each pedal sound. I'm a huge U2 fan and so the delay pedal is what I mess with the most. I'm going to sell my boss digital delay pedal because I don't need it now. I can change feedback, echo level, delay, time, etc. on the BOSS ME-33. All the pedals are very authentic. You won't be disappointed.

Very dependalble. Hard plastic with a very strong wah pedal. I use it on Sundays at church and jamming with friends. No problems.

I've never dealt with the customer support but I have gone on their website. Even though the BOSS ME-33 has been discontinued they actually have it on their website and explain a lot of features on it. You don't find that on other guitar sites. Boss is a top of the line company.

I play all different styles of music. My favorite artists are SRV, The Edge, Joe Satriani and Eddie Van Halen (a child of the 80's if you couldn't guess). The Boss ME-33 has helped me get as close to their sound without shelling out the big bucks for new guitars and amps. I do use a cry baby wah with it but if you don't have one the wah that comes with it is good enough. If this were lost or stolen I would definitely get another one even if it was used on ebay. I bought a Digitech RP300 brand new and returned after 2 weeks. The ME-33 blows this thing away. If I can complain about anything it would be the presets. I've played effects processors before and they're all the same, most presets are just a starting point. It's you're job to change them. They're are some good ones though like 50's rock, smooth ( a chorus delay sound)and an acoustic similator. Very easy to use. You can even do some recording with it, name your own sounds, switch from wah to volume to pitch bend so easily and you can go up or down to get your settings. A lot of processors just have up. I wish it had an envelope filter (mysterious ways song) but the phaser does okay. If you're a beginner, intermediate or even advanced you will get the sound that you want. Best processor I've ever played.

My main reason for adding this review is that I've got an ME-33 but no English manual. I've managed to make the unit work, find the (pretty cheesy) presets, and tweak some good sounds out of it. However, I don't feel I'm getting the most out of it, I would love to get my hands on a manual or a copy of one. If anyone can help, please email me.

I've worked with the ME-33 using a Burns Marquee electric and a Steinberger bass, plus an old vocal mic. Obviously that goes outside the scope of what the unit's designed for (namely electric guitar!) Some of the effects do sound a bit harsh and digital at times, but there's good variety, the signal path is clean, and the delays and flanger seem good. Taming the distortion is harder, but I'm working on it. I'm a bit dubious about the amp modelling, and it's not my area - I DI from the ME-33 straight into my PC soundcard, and have never owned an amp.

It's definitely rugged, I wouldn't feel too stressed using it at a gig without backup. The pedal and switches all feel extremely kickable.

I'm really trying to get Roland/Boss to send me an English manual for this thing, and I don't mind paying for one (even a photocopy!). I think it's well known just how great their customer service is, especially for people outside of the US..

I play a lot of different styles (most of them badly), from distorted industrial guitar, to funked up slap bass riffs, and I've found the ME-33 excellent for most of that sort of thing. I'm primarily a computer musician, but really appreciate having an outboard effects unit I can use to muck around with sounds and not bash the guitar into the computer monitor all the time. When I bought it, it was definitely the best model in its class/price range.. these days I might opt for a GT-6, or go the other way and try stringing together a bunch of individual pedals. I do really enjoy owning it, I keep it switched on all the time, just for when inspiration strikes.

Very Easy. Read the manual. Saves confusion and error. Easy and logical button assignments. Knobs for controls as well. Takes only seconds to edit and write patches. Maybe the easiest i've used.

Through a Carvin DC400 and a Fender Princton Amp, the box sounds very nice. Smooth, quiet. You can tell it's digital, but the phase, chorus, and some amp sims are very passable as the real thing. Distortions and overdrive will sound AWESOME if PROPERLY mixed with the Amp models. However, true overdrive and distortion can only come from TUBE driven sound, so don't look for a microchip to reproduce it.
Acoustic simulator is weak, as is the auto-wah. Wah is a bit better. Delay is very tweakable just like the dd-5 without the Hold function. Expression pedal effects work well too.

Let's make it clear. IF your guitar sounds like crap without the pedal, it'll sound like crap with effects when using the pedal. You can't expect a box, let alone a multi effects unit to bring you good tone and sound if you have crappy gear. You can't cheat good tone.

Also, people don't know how to calibrate their pickup dynamics to the sound of thier amps (a HUGELY important part of getting good sound) let alone the ME-33. Screwing around with the EQ arbitrarily won't get you anywhere. Figure out how your guitars tone and the nature sound of your amp first, then screw around with effects and multieffects.

The ME-33 sounds awesome through a good set up. A guitar veteran will be able to notice how digital the effects do sound alone, but when played with a band or in a mix, you can't tell and the sounds are pro.


If you have a complaint about this unit, you either don't know anything about how to TRULY use a multieffects or you have lower end guitar

(under $400 -it's cheap for a reason, [cheap electronics, assembly line style production] and there are scientific reasons as to why these have lower quality)

or a lower end amp. don't expect monster sound out of a 25 watt solid state amp through a 8" speaker.

learn what compression does and how to use it properly, learn how to mix effects properly, etc.

the Me-33 is designed to be able to shuffle the ORDER of effects to change their emphasis and tonality. I bet most people have no clue how to use this awesome feature. The people that complain about the wah being crappy probably haven't learned to place the wah right in relation to the drive.

If you know about tone, have good equipment, and know how to use multieffects correctly and effectively, the ME-33 will not disappoint you.

It's plastic, not metal, so don't drop it or put all your weight on it. Otherwise, it looks sturdy and durable. Nothing is loose on it.

I bought this brand new over ebay for $165. The suckers are being sold brand new because the ME-80 has been released and replaces the me-33. If you find a brand new one for less than $175, buy it. This thing usually sells for $200. For the quality of this machine at that price, it won't disappoint you. Don't buy it at retail or for $200 or more. instead, save your money and buy a higher level one.

It took me about 8 hours of fiddling with it to get a half way decent sound (if you could call it that). Instructions were clear bu the automatic presets suked.

a noisey piece with no tone and fake everything. I used a mesaboogie 50 caliber for years and I just cant hack the digital scene. You should try this thing out for a few days before buying it. I hated it so I sold it right away. It might be okay for limited effects like chorus and delay.I bought mine sight unseen on ebay because I am miles away from any decent guitar store.

Seemed reliable, Iwould gig with it.

dont know

suked, dont buy it unless you try it

This unit is easy to get a good sound if you know what you're looking for. The manual is great, but it concentrates on the "Quick Edit" and "EZ tone" methods of editing patches first which initially turned me off. Once I kept going and found how to edit each part of the patches finding good sounds was easy. Even the distortion if you tweak it correctly. I love being able to assign a name to the patch also.

My main setup is a '57 reissue Strat through a 60s twin. It's only noisy as you edit patches (the manual even says so).
The effects are mostly strong, at least the practical ones. The distortion- though not the strongest feature- is able to get a wide array of sounds. I've used Boss distortions in the past and this area is comparable.
The chorus, delay, and reverb have lots of room for play- just take the time to understand how the effects work to truly program in a good tone. The amp simulator is so-so. I haven't found a good use for it yet. The JC 120 sound is fairly authentic, but a little too clean for my tastes.
The guitar simulator isn't bad. The humbucker sound fattens up my strat pretty nicely. The Acoustic simulator is close, what can you expect though? At worst it's at least another nice clean tone that's not too processed sounding.
Modulation is a lot of fun, so is the autoriff- just not too practical. The harmonist is pretty cool, dial in any major.minor key and interval you want. Just have to find a tune to use it on... Expression pedal works smoothly.

As usual with Boss, this unit seems very dependable. I'd gig it w/out backup.

Never dealt with them.

I play rock, jazz, and folk. This pedal can work for all. I've been playing 14 years. Other effects I use are the Morley ECV, EH Big Muff, EH Small Stone, and the Roland GR-1.
Based on other multi-effects pedals I've used I'd get this again, but I think they're not made any more.
I love that it's Boss. At this price there's not much to hate. The modulator is the most fun to tune down w/out touching your guitar, or go up a step or two w/out a capo. Pretty cool on the acoustic setting.
I used to use a DOD Tec8 so this is a big upgrade for not much more $.

THe manuel is great - if you know any thing about electronics you should be able to figure this out, It takes a while to get used to but it makes sense after a while,

im using a les paul w/ a small fender amp and most of the effects sound great, with the exception of the wah effects. Has acoustic simulator which works alright

Ive had it for a month but no problems at all

Its great for hard rock as well as metal and classical (which is what I, Packy, play), Its easy enough for beginners but it will satisfy anyone. or the money, Its the best you can get

O unico problema com o uso do me 33 e que os bot?es n?o respondem imediatamente: e preciso gira-los ate a posic?o que corresponda ao valor atual do parametro para, so assim, ocorrer mudanca de valor.

A qualidade do som e muito boa, principalmente os efeitos, como delay, chorus, etc. No entanto, a tecnologia COSM ainda precisa evoluir para emular com mais naturalidade sons ditorcidos. Possuo pedais Boss Turbo Overdrive e Metal Zone, de maneira que o som destes pedais soa mais natural e organico do que as ditorc?es do me33, que respondem menos em termos de dinamica.

Apesar de ser de plastico, a pedaleira pode ser usada sem preocupac?es de deteriorac?o ao vivo.

O grande problema do me 33 e o atraso que ocorre na mudanca de programa, ocasionando na inviabilidade de seu uso ao vivo (a n?o ser que voce n?o mude de patch).
Ela pode funcionar como uma boa ferramenta de estudio, mas ao vivo... nem pensar! Prefiro ficar com meu pedais analogicos!!!

everything can be tweaked. once you figure it out and get used to it, it is very easy to use. the manual is also good

This thing has amazing sound. There are so many different sounds and you can tweak all of them in every different way. i am using it with a 120 watt crate amp, but i sometimes also plug it into my computer and record. The one annoying thing is the 1/4 second gap in switching patches.I can deffinitley get every sound i want.

its boss... it's not going anywhere despite the plastic casing. i deffinitly trust it enough to use it w/o a backup.

never had to deal with them. it has always worked very well, so i'll give 'em a 10

i play mostly metal. This is a very good pedal for me. I researched a lot of other pedals and for the price this one is excellent. i would buy it again if it was stolen and i couldn't get it back. It is nice to be able to plug it into my computer and it is a very useful tool. i would reccomend it to anyone.

Nice.

Nice.

Nice.

Fuck 'em.

Very, very nice. If there was any trouble with other users, it is because they do not how to use effects pedals correctly. Boss is the best you can buy. And for pretty much, the 2nd best pedal they've got, there's no reason to put this down, unless you suck yourself. If you're willing to pay about 400 bucks instead, go GT-6. Otherwise, if you even want to mess with your guitar a bit, get this. You can't go wrong.

It takes some time to get the sounds you want, but if you take your time experimenting with it is fun. Editing the patches is very easy; I needed the manual in the beginning, but not for long. Thing is that the system with the knobs is far more easier than for example the system of the GT3.

All the effects are quite good. I liked the delay mode very much. Maybe the expression/volume pedal is a bit too sensitive and weak (it fell back a few times). But the real problem is: the distortion and overdrive modes suck. Bigtime. It's not possible to get any good sound out of it, and I've been tweaking with it a long time. The amp-sim. is also fairly useless. Maybe I should have tried putting other (distortion) pedals before it, but I don't think that would work. It doesn't have an effects loop like the GT3, I think.

I think you can depend on it. Otherwise I would never use a multiFX to gig.

Normally I play a tele through a CS2, OD3, DS2, GE7 and CE2. I play alternitive rock, for over 4 years. I wanted more fx, like delay, flanger,... and a volume and wah wah. I'm glad i only borrowed it, cause the fact that it has no good distortion.

I like hoobastank, Incubus and Audiovent's sound and it's really easy to get the right sound.. some knob editing.. and you got it!! The instruction manual is great and they even gave us blank forms for user effects! Pedal switches are close to each other and if you use big boots you may push two switches at a time; some practice with it eliminates the problem.

I use a Jay Turser Les Paul and a Marshall 50w and the sound is really cool. I owned a Digitech RP-7 and the sound is definitively better. Every effects sounds perfect and clear to my ears once they are well configured. I easily did the effect of the main riff of Hoobastank's Crawling in the dark and the beginning of Incubus' Pardon me, they aren't perfect though but maybe some adjustments could bring it near perfection

It is made of plastic but HARD plastic. Since I just bought it I wouldn't bring a backup for my next gig cause it really look reliable.. I made around ten practices yet and I still didn't have any problems with it and I don't think it will happen soon.

nothing to say yet, didn't use customer support

I think my style perfectly matches the effects of the ME-33. The backlit screen make it look professionnal and it shows every effect used in a program so if something sounds weird, you can easily verify your settings without having to get into the programming thing. Compared to the Korg AX1500G and the Digitech RP300 (same price range), the ME-33 is the best choice for any serious guitarist.

This box is as easy as 'beginer' multi effect. It will be the best if we can (should be) spent some time to sweep the Owner's Manual to get its optimal performance. I spent my first hours with the manual, and it really worth my time. Editing pathces is pretty easy, between stompboxes and GTs. Thanks to six quick edit knobs, really intuitive as stomp-boxes with tons of capability you may expected.

Simple: Excellent! My set are BB King Lucille with mellow strings (0.11-0.52)>ME-33>Peavey Scorpion or Aria Acoustic Nylon Stinger>ME-33>PA or direct to DAW via computer.
The sound is great both for my electric and acoustic setting. No noise is over-noticeable for normal use.

Modulations are always sound gorgeous provided you're not overdo them. Delay and reverb are crystal clear with plenty of tweak ability. OD/Dist. have warm and thick analog sensation as their stomp-boxes "BOSS old-timer" brothers. 24 Bit AD/DA quality is proven with the right setup. Compressor usage is recommended to boost and stabilize your tone. Lexicon, VF-1 is in higher league but this little-smart box fulfill my expectation of a good quality of natural and processed sound.

I'm listening various type of music, mainly fusion. Pat Metheny Group, UZEB, Acoustic Alchemy style is incoming session to go.
Trying to get that mellow-dark Pat's tone with that kind of his signature modulation, Delay and natural Reverb. This thing help me to approach that tone, very close! (Off course! We need that PM-100, Lexicon..and so on..mostly hard practice..just to get Pat's tone-but I can't wait that long). For electric set up this babe give me bulk of options to create those fusion OD/Dist. tone, for Acoustic lover, these natural reverb and nice delay surprising me either, great!.

Mine is China's made, BTW, sales-man at my vendor told me that different 'version' (Japan, Taiwan?) has (slightly) different sound quality, tone thickness? I'm not sure.

The Wah could be thicker and better, maybe just my setting, not sure. Blank sound between patch was not annoy me yet, but it may be fixed on ME-33-II, hopefully.

Plastic. But this is a BOSS. I trust in it. Eight should be fair enough. However, gig with it (or with other boards) without back-up is not a best idea. My band-mate's 505II will be a fair back-up for me. Thanks' in advance Den! he..he..

I believe BOSS has good respond to any complaint. Speaking to my self: but not around here, don't know yet. Eight is my best bet. Hello people...

This babe is great for fusion to funk to jazz lovers. Also good for my Acoustic setting. Natural Traditional Jazz tone can be produced perfectly by this little smart-box as long as you set it smartly.

I've been playing guitar and bass for the last 10 years. Never disappointed by those BOSS stomp-box, I think this one will survive too. Considering the sound.. this is a huge boom for the money. If your concern is merely SOUND QUALITY, you don't need to buy those complicated-fancy-$$$$$ multi-effect. ME-33 will give you the better option. I can't give 10 'cause there's always some thing better, newer and cheaper out there. But this thing won't fool you. One more thing, the Expresion pedal is a great extra.