Boss ME-50

R u serious guys? may be somethin's wrong with the one i have.

basicly it's quite good for beginners.Nuthin on it that comes near to any pro stuff.Yes it is noisy an all the od/ds sound - thin and dead.I did a lot of tweaking,tried so many of the features,but never got the sound.if u play the unit at low volumes(somewhere around 1-2 on your 10 watt practise amp)it sounds a bit decent but reaching hot point on a valve section everything is out of control.The wah pedal is the only thing that i like but still feel bad cuz for the money i paid i could have nice CRY BABY and some cash in hand left.Ya know know when your guitar hero plays there ain't no sizzling after the tone and believe me that wasn't my girlfriend frying bacon. yes i can say that nothing's wrong with my DSL 50,or my Gibson les paul standard.what else should i check?

yes, solid built.proper metal box.

what about power supply incl.?

if it's lost or stolen i would never buy one again.btw mine's for sale.I hope i'll get as much as i can selling it.I think overall 4 because of the nice wah on it but please check before u buy.there's so much good equipment on the market street ,do yourself a favour save a bit more and get an all valve amp.I'm pretty sure a good amp will make u sleep well.if u have one ,have another one.

Easy switching but difficult to create the sound you (really) want... Programming is easy. The manual too extended on 'how good is this product' than 'how to use it in 5 steps'. You'll get used to it after a few hours of playing anyway.... I'll give it a ten though...

I m playing with a YAMAHA SG-500. I couldn't say it's noisy on clean ones but it certainly is on the distortion effects. The effects sound great all of them. I had really serious problems with the distortion though on the first gig that i used it. I m into H.I.M. , Deep Purple, Guns and roses ect and i like the classic distortions most but can't adjust my me-50 properly to find the sounds i want. Finally i believe the tap delay is not realy convienient cause you must spend precious time to manage how the intervals work... much classy model though on its effects of any other that i used. Ill give it a 9 cause of its difficulty to find your sound.

I bet it's beer proof :)

.....hm... dunno

Actually i play a whole range of styles and i need LOTS of different styled sounds on each gig. I love perfect and NON-ALL SAME-BORING guitar sound throughout the gig. I believe this machine is the right for me as long as i find out its little 'secrets' for even better sounds...cya...

This unit is as simple as it gets to use. Every effect has it's own series of knobs to tweek, (just like the seperate pedal it's apeing).

I A/B'd this thing next to the actual Boss pedals, and was very surprised to see that it produced the same sounds of each!

Hey, it's a Boss....whatta ya think!

Never had to deal with them, (always been reliable/ onstage and off)

For the price, you can't beat it! Built like a tank! A word of advice to all the youngsters: When you use ANY prosessor, ALWAYS zero the E.Q. settings on your amp! (simply put: adjust ALL the E.Q. knobs on your amp/s to "0" or "5" Set your E.Q. with the prosessor, and let IT do the work, (otherwise, you're working the E.Q. of the amp, and the prosessor AGAINST each other). "And they wonder why they get hiss and other noises"!
I play through 100 watt Marshall Plexi's, and while they're very loud, they are also very unforgiving of ANY mis-match of signals! Remember, KEEP IT SIMPLE!

The ease of this box is what first raised my interest. Then I went to the store and spent some serious time with it. The sounds I could get in no time at all made me take it home. I don't like the factory presets much, but the editing is a snap. Set all the knobs for all the effects you like in a patch, and you're done. I like to think of my banks as modulation types, distortion types and delays. In bank one live the rotary variations( + compressor, or, say, a couple of different distortions and speeds, etc.), in bank two are the choruses, and variations, and so on.
The manual is a nice reference to have around, but not nessecary if you have a good ear and half a brain.

I play a couple of differnt Ibanez hollow/semi hollow guitars, an Epiphone Alleykat, and a '92 USA Strat into an Ampeg Jet 12T. The amp alone is the strongest feature of my tone, and the Boss does not color my sound in any way I don't make it to. I don't use extreme settings on any of my gear, as I would rather you talk about what I'm doing on the strings, plus my tone, than any of the sounds I use. I think effects are just that--effects--not the basis for the sound.
The distortions are good for what they are supposed to do, and the tone modify feature is nowhere near as useless as some people here would have you believe. It gives the results stated in the manual, and comes in handy if I feel like something a bit darker or brighter, or so on, and helps the patches take on different dimentions.
I don't try for my hero's sounds but this thing gets what I will use very nicely.

Same as all the other posts: don't drop it or beat it agianst your head, and it'll last the duration. I've had it out to around ten gigs now, and it continues to please me for simplicity and great sound.

N/A

We do funky rock that leans heavy or trippy depending on the song. I've played for 22 years and have resisted getting a multi-box, cause quite frankly, most of them suck ass. I tried out Digitech's RP series stuff and it sounds like crap next to this unit, and the Zoom boxes are just as bad. The sounds are truly great in the live situation, except for the (say it with me, folks) Annoying Drop Off when changing patches, but this is so easily overcome as to be a non issue. Few guitarists in the whole world realize that when they stop for a couple seconds, that music is still occuring, and takes on new dynamic ranges when the guitar is quiet, then comes back in. Most of the guitarists I've seen in amature situations play as if they are the only sound, but there is a whole new world available to those who realize that it's not just the notes you play, but the SPACE between then that makes music interesting.
The only thing i wish this thing had that is missing is a minimum volume setting on the volume pedal(DUH!!) so I got around this by simply running my Morley Little Alligator Volume pedal in front of the Boss. Now I have the L.A. giving me minimum and maximum settings for rhythm/solos, and the Boss pedal acting as expression or mute. Overall I give it a SOLID 9 for this small lack and the delay in switching patches, made up for by the ease of use and the great useable sounds and bang for the buck.

Very easy to get good sound...I wasn't sure at first what I was doing because I have put off a multi-effect unit for years and I was always dead-set against them because it might influence "taraditional/vintage" sounds. But the sounds that it produces is really very spectacular. The variation on the distortion works quite well and produces stack sounds that would normally have you arrested because you would have to turn up the amp.

I am using a crate amp and a 1988 Ibanez RG with IBZ pickups. Hendrix, Page, Pink Floyd, etc... are replicated with ease. At first I had doubts about the distortion, but with the variation effect this unit kicks. I can't believe that I am imitating Marshall stacks with a little practice amp. I have wanted to sound like Eddie Van Halen, but I could normally pull it off with sounding 'similar', now I am able to control phaser volume effects, whereas with the MXR you couldn.t do.

I could depend on it wholehearedly. I don't understand what issues other people have with theirs, but this is something I hope will last for decades, until Boss builds a better unit.

NA

I have played almost 23 years and I have evolved from the "old school" Sears guitar to telecaster to Ibanez. I would probably purchase this same unit if it were stolen. I love its compact size, simpleness and reliability. It's not the easiest to figure out at first because it does have some compicated effects, but after a while it's a no-brainer.

The ME-50 is very easy to use. The manual's okay, except it would be better if it contained more information on how to get good sounds. I prefer to use it in manual mode (as the series of stompboxes), which is why I don't mind (as some others do) about the slight delay when you change patches in memory mode. The thing I would most want is some kind of online users' forum, like those that exist for the GT-series. From the number of people that have written reviews on this site, it is clear that there are a lot of people that use the ME-50. The biggest advantage of a users' forum would be for everyone to post their favourite settings, and settings that they use to sound like famous guitarists. If there is such a forum already, can someone post a message on here saying the website (I've spent ages googling and haven't found anything).

I'm using an epiphone SG with a small Peavey amp, and have enjoyed using it so far. I haven't yet played it with a loud amp, and i think that will be the real test of sound quality, but so far i have enjoyed all the sounds. My favourite distortion setting is on the tubescreamer simulator, and i like the choruses and delays. The wah's not as bad as everyone says (in my opinion). It is not very noisy at all.

It seems very reliable. I must say that I don't quite agree with everyone saying "it's built like a tank". Yes, the body of it is made of metal, but the pedals (what you actually step on with your foot) are made of plastic and don't seem that sturdy.

The website is useless (just a promotion for the product). This unit really needs a functional users forum where you can get ideas for good settings etc.

Overall it's great. For what it costs, you end up getting a lot of decent effects. The thing i most like about it is the stompbox interface, where you can individually kick in the distortion, mod effects and delay (and wah etc). I am slightly worried that if i get a better amp i won't need the ME-50 as much (because a lot of amps have effects on them, and the ME-50 is meant to be used in the clean channel of the amp, which means that you end up not using the good sounding natural distortion of your amp). Maybe other people who use the ME-50 with good amps could say what it's like.

I never had pedals and i decide by something pratic and easy to use, and found this feature in ME-50. Just changing two or three buttons you can transform completely sound and do it like your favorite gutarrist without that amount cables and pedals that want avoid be crazy tunning. I don`t have manual, and i think will be not necessary.

I use one METEORO 20w in my bedroom and Ibanez GRX-20. I heard much noise when i use max gain and level in almost all effects but when i decrease a little they desappear. I got sounds like my favorite guitarrist RANDY RHOADS playing studio album, increasing UNI-V, WAH totaly backward and DS1 with more medium tone version, such as playing live, increasing CHORUS, few DELAY with fast ms, without WAH, just VOLUME, COMPRESSION SUSTEINER AND DS1 all at MAX. i feel shiver when i done this. But ZAKK sound i still looking and i think will not possible with ME-50. If anyone found please tell me how.

I never play live, but i think ME-50 should be used just in short places because if you whant more power in any sounds i think separete padals can offer more gain and levels.

i not still contact company.

I`m playing heavy metal for a two years and i think is good match. I don`t have other gear, if i could by separete pedals knowing exactly type pedals and effects i would buy separeted pedals. But i prefered save money and i had almost all i was looking for in ME-50.

Hey Freddy
Thanks for your email. I have sort of fixed the problem. I usually have the presence turned way up but on the weekend, pulled it way back. It's a much smoother sound now. I also let the amp do most of the work with the master right down and the drive on about 5. Everyone else on this forum said to play with the clean channel but I tried the dirty channel and it worked fine. Now it's just a matter of fine tuning it for my sound. You're right, the other functions are great. I'm still mucking around with the chorus and stuff. Just trying to get a bit of a Stevie Ray Vaughan, Leslie type sound. I used the Octave+ feature on the weekend and the crowd seemed to like it. It's not something to be hesitant with, if you get caught half way you can sound pretty silly. I just keep the pedal going on the 1 and 3 beat during a solo and it sounds great.
And yes the price was great for what you get.
Thanks again for your message and advice.
Mick

the boss ME50 is very easy to use, even a dimented monkey cud use it. you can get very nice sounds out of it and the distortion settings are brilliant.

The sound is very good, im using a epi g400 sg copy and an encore ( which is not brilliant) but it sounds good, the hollow sound isnt brilliant.

i can definately rely on this, its built like a tank, really good buy, i cnt reely fault it. i would use without backup

i havent had to deal with them

very good buy, makes any guitar sound brilliant, the me50 will suit any style of playing and its really really good, just one prob, its quite expensive. otherwise it would get a 10

Very easy to use. Perfect idea

I love the sounds of the distortion but I must have my amp set up wrong. There seems to be a mid-to-top end break up. I've tried and tried and will keep trying coz I love the tones. I've tried a clean channel and a dirty channel. I play into a Fender Hotrod Deville. It sounds OK at home at low volume, but at the gig it seems very glassy. If anyone has any suggestions, Maybe I need new valves? please help

I play mainly Chris Duarte and Gov't Mule. Been playing for 20 years. Would give it a 10 if I can fix this problem. AAAARRRRGGGGHhhhhh

This unit is really easy to use. Its just like using the boss pedals.. no difference.. except fir the memory mode

I use a Maton electric, acoustic and a gibson acoustic into a fender deluxe... I don't think its exceptionally noisy if you keep the levels right. The effects are pretty good, I use the natural distortion sound a lot. The wah doesn't have a huge spread, but this unit is more about a value for money easy to use replacement for the 10 or more pedals you'd need to get a hold of to to cover. Giveen that a volume pedal, tuner pedal and a chorus or delay costs more then this I'm giving it a 10 for sound quality....even though it does have its shortfalls

Boss..... need I say more

haven't had to deal with them

For $500 aussie this is unbeatable. The natural distortion is great, all the delays and modulations are fantastic. I think the eq's could of been a bit more interactive, and the wah isn't great. I'm going to get a dunlop or morley to use as a wah and use the pedal just for volume. Its built like a brick and is a good starting point. If I lost it though, I think I'd grab the line 6 xt live..... or maybe I'd get another one of these

This is the easiest to use multi-effects by far. I use it more like a set of Pedals and hardly ever use the saved patches. However, that's really just a matter of setting the knobs to your like and hitting save into the appropriate bank.

All of the sounds are great on their own, and the unit works darn good for recording.

Not so good in a band/live setup. I am using this with a Crate BV-120H tube amp, and find myself preferring the Amp distortion AND reverb to the ME-50's. And the worst part of the ME-50 is the terrible hiss. The unit does have a built in Noise Supressor, which removes some unwanted string scrapes, but is otherrwise below average and does not help with it's own hiss. I have solved this problem by putting a Rocktron Hush Pedal in the amp's effects loop (after the Me-50 and Amp effects). This had the dual advantage of removing the ME-50's hiss AND the Amp's own hiss. However, I feel like I must include the $75 hush pedal and $15 Power Supply cost on top of the $299 price tag of the ME-50.

The unit handles my 7-string guitar well. Modulation effects are average. Delay effects are good. The Pedal is the best part of it and the main reason I am having a hard time getting rid of it. The pedal is like 100 times better than a Hendrix Cry Baby.

Like others have said, the ME-50 is a tank.

I play old school Metal. Sabbath, Megadeth, Metallica, etc. I've been playing about 8 years. Aside from the equipment mentioned in the sound area, I mostly own recording equipment. Again, the ME-50 is better for recording at lower volumes. I am considering selling the unit and using individual pedals instead.

Let me put it this way, Im 54 and never used an effects pedal before, and you know what they say about teaching old dogs new tricks...well let me tell ya that this thing is so easy to use that within 2hours I was totally comfortable with it...What Im saying here is that if I can use it, anyone can

I use it in church for worship and praise music...I play a G&L S500 Tribute (a great guitar by the way) direct into a Musicman 75 2x10, in the clean channel...I oonlly use it for doing little fills on songs, and it more than suits my purposes

Its a Boss. Built like a tank....I expect no problems

Im very happy with this unit, and will always have one...If someone stole it, so be it, I would difinitly buy another....My only complaint about the whole deal is why couldn't boss include the power supply with the unit...Im sure it wouldnt break their bank...I also have a 64 Guild T100 and a Guild JF30 jumboacoustic...The T100 I run strictly in the 2nd channel of the amp with a touch or reberb and a smitch of phase, But I think one day Im gonna start playing with the acoustic through this unit just to see what I can come up with...Finally, I feel this unit is well worth the money,the more time I spend fooling with it , the more I seem to be able to do...

Take it out of the box and plug it in to the amp and your good to go. If you can operate a Boss stompbox you can use the ME-50. The manual is easy to read if you need it.

I use the ME-50 with a PRS SC, 02', PRS CE-24, 02'. Fender Strat Deluxe 02', and Fender strat Plus 91' played through a Fender Deville 4x10.The unit acts like a stompbox so you get the noise you would get from a pedal. The effects are everything I want and more. I have recently went back to digital from analog with the ME-50. I had a huge pedal board with tons of cable. Batteries needed changing and you lost so much volume. With the ME-50 you you plug in your geetar flip the power switch and your good. I can definatly get the sounds of my favorite artists with the effects from hendrix to Incubus.

Have not taken it to a gig yet only had it for a couple weeks.Seems solid.

N/A

I play anything from classic rock to new rock, blues, and so on. I have been playing for 17 yrs and have used Boss products for 10yrs. I still own some analog pedals Electro-Harmonix etc... just to have for the classic sound and to have. I have friends that say analog is the only way to go and digital sucks. I was sold on the idea for awhile but after paying over $200 or more for some pedals and not being a highly paid rock star and not hearing a big diffrence between digital and analog I threw that idea out the window. It's seems having some of those high dollar pedals is more of just to say you have it. I agree totally with another submission further up on the page...no one in the crowd cares whether you are playing analog or digital. I like the ME-50 because it is so easy to use. As of now I would probaly get another one if lost. In all, if you like the product and like the sound don't give a rip what other people say do what you want, it's your cash.

very easy to use manually, pedals work great and only niggle i might have is the memory thing could have been just a little easier to use but other than that no problems if your not too much of a sound nut

me im using yamaha pacifica and fender frontman 15 cus im a cheap ass, but im suprised at what the boss me-50 can get out of that fairly basic set up, distortions are all pretty, good, would have been nice to have an SD-1 but you can't have everything, the delay , i tend to use a tap function for creating my own delay timing and it seems to work well enough for what im trying to achieve, modulation, chorus and harmony is great and theres a flanger and rotary if you messin around, and then i found an enhancer function to improve the tone quality of my pacifica quite significantly. wah pedal, fantastic, with resonance and then some daft options like voice, computer blippy noises and motorbikes and what not, its perhaps more a boys toy than an elitists accessory but, its affordable for those of us who cant get themselves a korg 3 or somethign crazy, and definitely improves more basic equipment, so perhaps the complaints you have seen here are from those who already have decent amps/guitars and really didnt necessarily need this, but otherwise for the price its a great range of effects in one, get you started in effects anyway!

you can't go wrong with a boss

well contact numbers are provided if a fault occurs, even though there is only one per country but is it really going to break?

well im a bit of a u2 nut, the delay (tap effect) was substantial enough for where the streets have no name, and if I had two amps i cans ee the pan being of use to, other than that analogue isnt too bad and the rest is pretty bog standard, 70s lizzy topne is possible, acoustic sound, its greta just a big range of noises to make use of and play with, hours of enjoyment.

this i think has to be the easiest effects unit to program and edit i have ever used just turn a few knobs and youve gota new sound... o thats nice i might store that select wich bank and pedal you want and bobs your uncle easy as that

i found most of the effects very useable, i am a bit unsure of the wah but yeah , oh and some of the real heavy distortions hiss somtin cronic but i am not a death metal man myself so that dont matter

this thing is built like a ww2 veteran stomp it as hard as you want it will take anything , only one thing the tone modify knobs etc. feel a bit squealchy like they might wear out but its not a big deal.

never dealt wit them and i dont think i will have to this thing is built like a brick!!

I have been playing the guitar for 18 years now and have gone through lots and lots of different equipment....this by far is the easiest effects processor I have ever used....The only thing easier would be to plug directly into an amp and playing that way....

The setup I am currently using is an Ibanez JS-1000 plugged directly into the ME-50 than plugged into a crate g-600 solid state amp with a Blue Voodoo 4x12. I also use an ESP with EMG 81's. I use only the clean channel on the amp with the tone controls set at 12 o'clock and no reverb. This product allows the natural sound of your playing to shine through with still plenty of gain. The effects on it are pretty good quality but are somewhat noisy. Since this is supposed to be a mixture of different Boss pedals I wonder if the noise came from the use of an AC adapter vs. using the Batteries that are supplied just like the original Boss pedals. The noise gate does a DECENT job of cleaning up the noise that I know is not coming from my guitars. The distortions on the ME-50 sound very good and very tube like. The metal sounds are superior to most tube amps and do not sound fuzzy at all. The reverb on the item is good but the delays lack the depth of good quality digital units...same goes for the chorus....however I have tried all of them and this one is definately up there as far as quality goes. The wah sounds really good with the Fuzz setting and you can get dead on "Voodoo Chile" tones with it but it lacks depth with the higher gain distortions. Compressor is good for clean but sucks with Distortion...im going to give it a 9 but its really more of an 8+1/2....

Feels ultra sturdy...have had boss pedals for over 10 years now and are still kicking strong....

Never dealt with them before

Overall it works perfect for me...Im into progressive metal ala` Dream Theater and it really helps my solos sing with the JS-1000 axe. The crunch could use some more balls for real metal type players but for $299 its definately, MOST definately bang for the buck...

I switched to this from a Digitech RP-6 for anumber of reasons- ease of changing settings was one of them. The three effect pedal paradigm with knobs was just the ticket.

I use a 1969 Les Paul, a Yahamaha RGZ321-P through a Marshall 3201 Tube head. I LOVE my Marshall sound, and the RP-6 colored it, even with modeling off. If you set the ME-50 to null, that being, no level boost, no effects, run through my effects loop, you can plug and unplug it and hear absolutely no change in tone. Perfect. I give it a nine for the inability to to set a fixed power boost for leads that doesn;t change the tone.

Built like the typical Boss Rock.

For the money, it's hard to beat.

This thing is easy to use...bought it today...gigged it this evening! Up until this evening I have been using a cobbled together pedal board containing various fx pedals, i wanted to try this unit to see if it really is as easy to use as the ads say and ....IT IS! Manual mode is really useable live as it says in the adverts it is just as easy as regular pedals.

I am using the unit with a suped up Fender Tele with seymour duncan little 59 in the bridge and a hot rhythm in the neck positions into a Fender Hot Rod Deville also occasionally use A Standard Strat again with a seymour duncan little 59 in the bridge. For overdrive I like a Ibanez tube screamer type sound, the screamer setting on the ME50 is great it doesn't sound much different to my original TS808 especially in a live situation you really can't tell the difference! I don't use a huge ammount of effects but all modulation effects on the unit seem fine chorus is really good! Delays do exactly what I expect of them, expression pedal is great..wah wah effect is fine and useable..for the money this thing is great!! I spent two hours getting to know it and took it to a gig that night what more can I say?....This is the first time I have been happy with a floor based multi effects in the live situation, i have had digitech stuff even other boss stuff and have never got a good gigging sound out of them they were great at low volume or through headphones but live they were sh**e! I play everything from 60's music to present day rock and pop my main sounds are overdrive (use compressor for lead breaks) chorus for clean chord work and tap tempo delays and the odd phaser or flanger, what I have wanted though is the option to have other effects at my disposal and I think this unit is gonna serve just that purpose! Try one for yourself some people have slated this thing in these reviews, but i'm glad I took the time to try one out...this is a real diamond FX processor. The only thing that seems useless to me is the tone changer thing! you don't need it! Compressor is great too better than the Boss CS3 simple and effective! All of the fun effects are there to for those mad creative bedroom guitar moments...come on we all have them!

Seems solid enough to me, i have gigged it without any back-up it's a Boss they're built like tanks!

Haven't tried them yet but I belive should I need them the UK HQ is very near to where I live...which is handy!

GO WITH AN OPEN MIND TO YOUR NEAREST DEALER AND GIVE ONE A GO! Seriously good unit.

I bought this used with no manual and was up and running in just a couple of minutes. Very easy to use, you don't need a manual. No brainer to edit and create patches. I had it mastered within 30 minutes.

First of all, you need to know that the sound quality of this unit depends completely on how you set it up. For example, I'm using it through a Tech 21 Trademark 60. When used in the effects loop it sounds like complete CRAP! When used in front of the amp on the drive channel it also sounds like crap. However, when you put in front of the amp on the clean channel........WOW!!!!! It sounds GREAT!! Many have said the OD's are no good. I've not found this to be true. In fact the OD's are excellent. The OD-1, OD-2, BD-1, DS-1, and MT-2 are all great. I don't really like fuzz effects so I can't say whether those are good or not. From my experience they sound like they do what they're supposed to. The modulation and delays are all very good. As good as any individual effects I've ever used. The analog delay is particularly good. I will agree with most of the other reviewers and say that the reverbs are completely useless. The noise gate is actually one of the best I've used. Though, many have said they don't like it. At this price I'd like to know what they've used that's better? I used to own an early model dynacomp and I'd say that the compressor on the ME-50 is almost as good. The expression pedal is great. The wah is very good, though, not as good as a dunlop...but almost. The voice effect on the pedal is fairly lame, however, the octave effects are great. For those that have said it sounds horrible, I can only conclude that they just didn't set it up correctly. It certainly has the ability to sound like shit, but if set up correctly it's an amazing unit. Well worth the price!

Built by Boss. This thing is made like a tank. I was sold the first time I stepped on the expression pedal. It was heavy smooth and solid as a rock.

Never used it.

This unit answers all my needs for effects in one easy to use package. Unlike most multi effects units that do one thing well, the ME-50 does it all! With the exception of the reverbs, all of the effects on this unit are as good as the individual Boss pedals, at least the ones I've used. If you like their one-off units you'll love this.

Very easy to use...no menus and an excellent interface. All the knobs are on the "face" of the unit, and are clearly marked.

As far as getting a sound...start with the distortion section with the knobs at 12 O'Clock, and work from there.

The manual is informative and complete.

I'm using this with a variety of guitars, but primarily I use a '74 Gibson Les Paul (beat to crap, just the way I like it) with a Seymour duncan JB pickup in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Jazz pickup in the bridge. I use a Mesa Boogie Studio .22 combo (all tube, 1x12" speaker). This unit certainly likes playing with quality gear. If you are getting weird noises or substandard sound, check your cables and other gear.

The unit isn't noisy at all, and with the the gate engaged, is less noisier still. Of course, hi-gain settings will be noisier than low-gain ones, but that's the nature of the beast. The ME-50 is actually much quieter than the massive pedalboard based system I used to use, with 8 pedals in series powered by a Furman SPB-8.

The effects are very good...you have practically everything: Wah, chorus, Flange, harmonizer, etc. Only one complaint - the delay level knob seems to kick in only on settings of 11'O'Clock or higher; in other words, you can't really hear the delay effect too well at lower levels. But, I like the whole Edge/David Gilmour/Andy Summers sound, so I tend to turn the delay up anyway to begin with and therefore this isn't really a problem for me.

I strongly disagree with the reviewer below who said the sounds were digitized crap...remember, it's not the car that gets into the accident - it's the driver. Like I said before, use the best gear you can afford. I can't tell you how many HC reviews I've seen where someone says "It's crap!!!" about a product, only to see him/her reveal that he/she uses the unit with a $150 Squire guitar and a Gorilla combo. Garbage in, Garbage out.

Also, beware of extreme settings...this is true of any unit, but especially this one. Let your hands, the wood of your guitar, and (preferably) the tubes of your amp do the work. I set my amp to a loud clean with moderate breakup, and then use the Distortion (the OD-2 setting) to saturate the sound. I've owned many of the pedals that the ME-50 models, and yes, they do sound astonishingly close.

As far as the common complaint about the "lag" in patch switching in program mode - it's not as bad as some of the guys below make it seem. In fact, they may be shocked to discover that the same thing actually happens on $1500 big name processors. You know how your computer takes a second to load a program? Well, ALL DIGITAL DEVICES DO THIS. The only way to use this is to use a parallel/send system (like the pros do), but I don't have the cash to invest in such an impractical system (and chances are, neither do you, if you're reading this).

How do you get around this? Either stay in manual mode like I do (honestly, do you REALLY need so many patch changes?!?!?!) or just pause your playing before getting to the next patch. People, it's not a big deal. Get over it.

As far as getting the sounds of your favorite artists - this is actually a great "poor man's Edge" device...the triplet delay is very handy for getting that "When the Streets have no name" sound (which is NOT two delays going at once, contrary to what many will have you believe). And yes, the moron below complaining about how the tap function only works on triplets is WRONG. The tap function works on ALL the delays, and the mod effects too. READ THE MANUAL!

I can get pretty much nearly every sound I can think of with this unit. I give it a 9 isntead of a 10 only because of the delay level knob issue, which is minor anyway.

Like all Boss products, it seems very reliable...it even includes batteries that you can use for backup purposes! I'd gig in a heartbeat without a backup.

Never used them. But, I do have to take off a couple of points here.

First, they DON'T include the pwoer supply with your purchase. WHY?!?!
Second, in order to access the tone modify (which is Boss' fancy term for the selectable/bypassable fixed EQ settings) and/or compressor function in manual mode, or to access the up/down bank select function in program mode, you need to purchase (an) extra switch(es) and the appropriate cable.

Would it have killed the company, finacially, to include these with the unit? Hmmph!

I've been playing for 10 years. My band plays both covers and originals in the classic rock/punk style (think the Clash, Television, early U2, etc.). This covers all the bases for what we do. As I wrote before, I switched over from a multiple-pedal system that I was never happy with. I even considered getting into the whole rack thing, but then I came across an ad for this thing in a guitar magazine. I tried it out at Guitar Center, and put my pedalboard up for sale the next day.

I also do roadie/guitar tech work for a popular NYC-based tribute band on the weekends, and I come across plenty of hi-tech, fancy, expensive gear. I can honestly say that for the price, this is one of the better multi-effects units on the market. To think that 7 years ago, I paid the same price for a crappy DOD multi-effects unit that did only a fraction of what the Boss ME-50 does know! How times have changed...

Anyway, woul I buy it again if it were stolen? Yes. I really love this thing...it's inspired me to incorporate more FX into my playing, which untimately has helped my band discover new sounds and song ideas. The only thing(s) I wish it had standard were the power supply and outboard switcher pedals (Boss FS-U).

When deciding whether to buy a unit like this, remember that the ultimate test is whether it helps you make music or not. Effects are a means to an end - and all the gear in the world isn't gonna save you from bad songwriting and crappy skill. As for the "tube snobs" or authenticity freaks who argue against the ME-50 because it doesn't sound like some hot vintage collectible de jour: guys, get lives. NOBODY in the audience cares about your gear.

I was once such a snob, and I found that my sound AND my playing got better when I started taking shit OUT of my signal path. I did the whole dedicated-pedal-for-every-effect thing, and ended up with a huge, heavy, pedalboard with tons of noise and signal loss. It was so impractical that I rarely used it for live gigs here in NYC.

Now with the ME-50, I have a rig, with, ironically, MORE sounds than my old system, that sets up in minutes and fits into a laptop bag. Lovely!

The ME-50 is great bang for the buck. If you can operate a stomp box, you can operate this thing. The manual is an easy read, and handy as a reference, but I haven't needed it yet.

I bought the ME-50 to replace a Digitech RP2000 that I ran in the effects loop of my Boogie DC-3. Since the RP2000 is an amp modeler with cabinet simulation, it was altering the Boogie sound (cardinal sin!!!), and I just couldn't stand it anymore. I wanted to get an all-in-one box that had no amp models and wouldn't reshape my basic tone. But I also couldn't spend a ton of money at this juncture, so the ME-50 was perfect.

I found that running the ME-50 in the effects loop was the best way to go. If I ran it between my guitar and the amp, I got all kinds of variation in the effect levels between my Boogie's clean and overdriven channels. It also muddied the sound. But when I put it in the effects loop and adjusted my Boogie's SEND level, and tweaked the ME-50's level, I settled in on something I was really pleased with.

I was very pleased with the effects overall, but as has been said in many other reviews, the distortions are blah. I may be able to tweak one or two of them to use as a "third channel" as it were, but I have no use for them otherwise. Same with the tone selector.

I haven't used any BOSS gear in years, but it has a reputation for reliable, durable stuff. This is encouraging.

Haven't ever dealt with support.

I have played for 25 years in a number of bands. i used to really love a wet, processed sound, but have outgrown that and am back to just using a really good amp, with an effect or two to sweeten the sound or to mimic the sound of a tune for a cover gig. If I had the money, I would probably go with a rack unit (something from Lexicon or TC Electronics), but the ME-50 is plenty adequate for my current needs.

The ME-50 is great bang for the buck. If you can operate a stomp box, you can operate this thing. The manual is an easy read, and handy as a reference, but I haven't needed it yet.

I bought the ME-50 to replace a Digitech RP2000 that I ran in the effects loop of my Boogie DC-3. Since the RP2000 is an amp modeler with cabinet simulation, it was altering the Boogie sound (cardinal sin!!!), and I just couldn't stand it anymore. I wanted to get an all-in-one box that had no amp models and wouldn't reshape my basic tone. But I also couldn't spend a ton of money at this juncture, so the ME-50 was perfect.

I found that running the ME-50 in the effects loop was the best way to go. If I ran it between my guitar and the amp, I got all kinds of variation in the effect levels between my Boogie's clean and overdriven channels. It also muddied the sound. But when I put it in the effects loop and adjusted my Boogie's SEND level, and tweaked the ME-50's level, I settled in on something I was really pleased with.

I was very pleased with the effects overall, but as has been said in many other reviews, the distortions are blah. I may be able to tweak one or two of them to use as a "third channel" as it were, but I have no use for them otherwise. Same with the tone selector.

I haven't used any BOSS gear in years, but it has a reputation for reliable, durable stuff. This is encouraging.

Haven't ever dealt with support.

I have played for 25 years in a number of bands. i used to really love a wet, processed sound, but have outgrown that and am back to just using a really good amp, with an effect or two to sweeten the sound or to mimic the sound of a tune for a cover gig. If I had the money, I would probably go with a rack unit (something from Lexicon or TC Electronics), but the ME-50 is plenty adequate for my current needs.

The ease of use on this thing really sets it aside from any other multi-effects systems, because there are no endless digital menus to sift through and it is all done manually by knobs. This means that it is like carrying around a few stomp boxes rather than a computer. However, the time it takes to change between each bank can be very annyoying, but you can get round this by waiting for a pause in the song, or getting your co-guitarist to play while you change. Alternatively you could just configure the setting manually without using the patches, but it really up to you and i dont see it as a life threatening drawback. Editing the patches just requires reading the manual.

Manually is long but it is set out nicely and gives you a few handy tips.

I play through a Marshall mg100dfx and i find that you can get super feedback-free sounds from the Me-50 if you set the amp to clean. Some of the distortions are slightly too similar for individual commendations and can produce terrible feedback on small amps like my other marshall 10-watt, but i think that may just be the bollocks amp!

Most of the other effects are super; you can yet awesome wah wah and phase shifting sounds but i haven't really found any particular use or reason for the ring modulator which ultimately sounds something like C3P0 choking on a traction engine.

I would depend on it, i cant see anything going wrong with it and its a BOSS so it's built like fort knox.

never had to use them, hopefully never will.......

I play a variety of rock; red hot chili peppers, muse, rage against the machine etc and i never have a problem with finding new sounds, (except maybe for some of tom morrelo's dickhead solos). I've never got pissed off with it, i find it more than satifactory, and i think its the best in the business for its potential and price.
Great buy!!!

Excellent!!!

This is really easy to use, i have tried other multi-effects pedals and this is by far the easiest to use! No one will have problems with that..

I am using a Gibson Les Paul Studio, SG Special Faded and a Mexican Standard Strat (yes..). Now i have a great sound on my guitars (the 3) with the ST Chorus 2, it gave a new dimension to my setup. I like almost all effects, but they have to be well configured, so you need to loose some time to get your sound!

I've used this on gigs and jams and had no problem or backup.

No, no problem at all yet!

This is a great tool, it's not an 2,000 US$ setup of effects but it will sound like that to 99% of the people that are watching to your gigs.. This is not perfect, but only some really good musicians can estabilish a difference between this and other EXPENSIVE effects, so why buy those expensive stuff?

BOSS has recenlty increased the price of this unit here in PORTUGAL.. :( i could have bought this for 250?..