Boss ME-50

very easy: a knob for every parameter, no menues.
not quite es easy: find good parameter values (knob positions)

The effects all sound decent and are well worth their price, ranging from great to good in the order delay, modulation, reverb, compressor, NS. The "mod" reverb sounds great, but has no parameters to edit. I admit that it is often difficult to find knob positions that sound good, but you should spend some time! Sometimes small changes make big differences. After some time, I found knob positions that sound great for every effect.

EXCEPT: the distortion is just digital trash! And the pedal sounds are all cheap stuff! The volume pedal function is very convenient, though.

The only distortion that does not sound digital is the rat (it never sounds like a rat, but it sounds good).

I tested this thing at a dealer. Chorus, reverb were good, and the delay was just great, very extreme things are possible. The delay actually convinced me to buy this thing.

had it for a short time, seems ok.

--

Forget the distortion and forget the pedal, all other effects are pretty good. Good "bang for the buck" at any rate. I like the delay and the mod reverb very much.

Some parameters can be changes drastically, but that also means that you have to be CAREFUL with the knobs to find "normal" parameter values that sound good.

All in all, it is very recommendable and well worth the price! If you leave out distortion and wah, you still get a good compressor, chorus, phase, flanger, harmonizer, reverb and delay! And you can tweak things to the extreme! That's what I like most. You can get really spacy sounds with this! It's cool!

Very easy to use!!
Never cracked the manual.

I use Tele's w/George L's cables into a Fender Deluxe RI. I was using a HRD but traded up to the DRRI.
The only noise is with higher Gain settings w/ OD/Dist.
The Chourus is wonderfull for 80's sounds. The Delays can nail everything from Gatton/Setzer Rockabilly to U2 to Cathedral. The Tremolo is the same as the TR-2, usable for sure but I like the DRRI's Trem better. The Rotary is VERY useable, nice touch Boss. I'm not really a Phaser/Uni/Flanger/Harmonizer kinda player,so I don't really use em' that much.
The Od/Dist section fared MUCH better with the darker sounding HRD than with my DRRI. With my present setup, most of the settings are overly fizzy. The Tube Screamer,OD-1,OD-2, will do in a pinch , but they don't exactly shine, (To be fair though, the DRRI is notoriously hard to mate with OD/Dist boxes). With the HRD they sounded great. The BD-2 wasn't nearly as fizzy or harsh as the actual Pedal. The Fuzztones didn't sound like Bumblebee FM radio!!
The Compressor is OK, sounds better than the CS-3. I normally use a DynaComp, and while this one dosent match up, It'd do in a pinch.
The Reverbs are just terrible. There's a thrakk sound when you hit notes. Cheezy sounds. I'll stick w/ the Deluxes Reverb thanks.
The Noise Supressor is kinda useless. It'll cut down on the hiss but it audibly cuts off sustained notes in a really bad ,stuttering way.
The Expression Pedal was a Pleasant suprise. The Wah is actually pretty good. It sounds good with Distortion ,as well as clean. The Taper of the Volume is good,( I never thought about a Vol pedal till I tried this one, now I can't imagine playing without one). The rest of the settings aren't really sounds I'd ever use.
The Good sounds in the ME-50 are REALLY GOOD. The Bad sounds just suck!!

Built like a BOSS. Everything seems sturdy enough.

They came SOOOO close with this Unit!!! This thing would be perfect for Bar gigs and Jams. Perfect size,all the right features. The OD/Dist needs to go back to the drawing board though (COSM must stand for Creates Overall Sound Mutilation). Dump the "Tone Modify" section, it's cheezy. The Tuner could use some work too. The Reverbs should be scrapped alltogether and started again from scratch. Model the Compressor on The DynaComp or Ross units. DON'T TOUCH THE MODULATION,DELAY,VOLUME or WAH!!! Those are winners!!!
I'm keeping this unit to take to Jams and small gigs where I may need some different sounds. I'll be great for sitting in using House amps. I don't use Od/Dist very much so hopefully it'll do in those situations. With a darker amp, this unit'll do just fine. However, I play alot of Roots/Country/Rockabilly where the DRRI is perfect. I'll keep my TU-2/DynaComp/ZW-44/Crybaby/DM-2 setup, but use the ME-50 for portability/backup. This would make a perfect gigging unit with a little tweaking from Boss.

They couldn't have made it any easier.

To the reviewer below. It's not an amp simulator. Put it thru the front of a good tube amp. I have the Pod xt as well that is used for home recording. Neither are are the 10's that my best analog effects would get but if you're using quality guitars, pickups, and tube amps the ME 50 is a solid 9. If you can't get good sounds out of this thing check out the rest of your setup. Also the effects are on par with the GT-6. With the patch changing swithes, which are a necessity for live use they're about the same price.

Been playing pro for over 20 years and this is not the best that money can buy(compared to some analog pedals and rack gear) but it is a quaity, convenient tool.

Very easy to use, the knob-based interface is why I bought it.

I play through PA's, mostly through Seymor Duncan humbuckings. I was happy with the delays, mods, reverbs. The distortions are basically worthless with my setup. They sound like a bunch of mosquitos. I just couldn't use them at all, that's why it's on eBay as I am writing this and a brand new POD XT is on my desk next to my computer.

It was very reliable, I gigged it a bunch and it never even got a scratch in the finish. The expression pedal held up quite well. However, I think the Stereo Chorus 2 effect got a little manky--not sure, but this single effect might have given up the ghost.

I play singer-songwriter stuff, electric lead behind an acoustic guitar. Been playing about 32 years, been through all kinds of effects and guitars. Have been through several Line 6 units, and am back to Line 6 again. My overall rating of the ME-50: Nice try, fellas, but not good enough.

The main selling point of this unit is that is easy to use: You simply twiddle the knobs which are clearly labelled and press the write button to save your settings!

This unit does offer some good quality sounds, but the quality largely depends upon the particular amp you put it through. It definitely sounds better if the amp is set clean with a flat EQ ! Whether you like the effects is a matter of taste - I particulary like the MT2 distortion, the phaser and the tap delay, but I found many of the overdrive sounds too thin and tinny, the compressor is quite noisy and the tone settings are too subtle! The expression pedal works well as a volume and octave control but I didn't feel there was enough range on the wah and filter controls.

Seems very sturdy, I would use it without a backup, but I wouldn't throw it about!

N/A

I play mainly funk and rock on electric guitar and this unit provides me with a wide range of reasonably good quality sounds, in one box, with no menu surfing for a reasonable price. I chose it because I am on a tight budget, I am fed up of plugging in multiple effects pedals and power supplies etc, and hate menu surfing in order to edit sounds. This has now replaced all of my other effects apart from a Digitech Synth Wah and a Boss RC-20 Loopstation. The only complaint I have is that in order to change banks without bending down you have to buy two momentary footswitches. This represents a hidden cost and means extra cables and boxes on the floor!

It's so easy to use, it really doesn't need a manual.

I am a long time Boss user having owned over a dozen Boss pedals and currently own 3 other products including a BR864 which I love. I don't claim to be an expert but I am very experienced and familiar with Boss.

While I found the mods and delays quite nice (Although the choruses were weak) I was really surprised at how little the effects sound like their individual stombox counterparts. This is a big marketing feature with this unit but if you are at all familiar with the MT-2, DS-1 and especially the OD-1 & 2, you won't be able to duplicate that sound with the ME50.

I played, tweaked, set, reset and fiddled with this thing for the full 30 days I got from the merchant to return it, trying desperately to get an authentic warm overdrive out of it. I just couldn't.

The chorus doesn't claim to be the famous CE-1, 2 or ensemble but I've owned a CE-2 for 10+ years and I couldn't even get close with the ME50.

The sweep on the expression pedal in Wah mode is maybe an inch physically. Sonically, it passes by you so quick you hardly hear it. Conversely, the expression pedal is great for whammy/trem effects and the volume pedal is smooth as silk.

Contrary to other comments here, the tuner worked fine for me.

The noise suppressor was surprisingly effective especially at knocking out the buzz on my single coils.

As mentioned in previous reviews, the patch switching latency is easily overcome by either using it in Manual mode or hitting the "Edit" button whilst in Preset mode. This was a big concern of mine but really isn't a problem if you use the pedal as it was designed to be used.

It's Boss.

Never dealt with them and hope I never have to. Getting info off their website is like pulling teeth.

I've been playing for 25+ years. Goth, punk, classic rock, R & B. Mostly Strats and Les Pauls.

I read all the reviews both before and after I bought the ME50 so I had a fair idea of what I was getting into but it still fell short.

This unit frustrated the shit out of me. I was determined to get some quality tone out of it but no matter how much time I spent tweaking it, I couldn't get what I wanted.

My Korg PX4 runs circles around the ME50 in every way; features, sound quality, portability. (Check them out - they're $100 cheaper!)

Nothing sums up the ME50 better than: "You get what you pay for." And maybe I shouldn't be so harsh because of that but if that's the case then merchants need to stop referring to it as the "GT6 Junior," 'cuz it ain't. This stomper is probably perfect for the amateur/beginner - that's who it's really designed for despite how it's marketed.

But that's what I'm returning it for; a GT6.

If you can use other Boss pedals, this should be easy. Looks like a lot of dials but is layed out logically. The manual is pretty good. Its easy to edit patches. Agree with other users that the tuner is nearly useless -- way too sensitive. Why didn't they include their chromatic tuner that's already an industry standard?? Recently played a gig on the roof of Peabody Hotel -- couldn't see the display at all in the sun. Wish it had a separate EQ control, but no biggie.

I run an Epiphone Dot to the ME-50 and into a Peavey Classic 50 tube amp. Its quite. The compressor, noise suppressor and reverb are excellent. I love the choruses and delays. The built in wah is a plus and is decent, but has a little bit of a short sweep. I can get good BB King tones through this rig. I like the more classic overdrive sounds (Tubescreamer imitator) but the more crunch sounds start to sound too much alike for me. Probably less to do with the pedal than my Epi.

Never seen a Boss pedal quit. I don't baby it but I don't drop it either. I think its pretty rugged.

I have called Boss before, not for this item but for their DR-770 drum machine. Got directed to the right place immediately to an informed rep. Positive experience, so far.

I mostly play classic rock and blues. I've been playing guitar and keyboards for over 20 years, although most of my electric experience is recent (last 5 years or so.) I own a high end Martin acoustic/electric, Ibanez jazzbox, Washburn acoustic electic and a couple of throwaways. I like this product -- for me, no wire hassles, -- just plug and play with very good sounds. You have to spend time with it though. I didn't like it right out of the box, until I worked with my whole setup. I've recorded directly through the ME 50 and into my Korg recorder, which went well. The ME-50 brings a lot of good sounds to the table for around $300.

For a multi-effect as versatile as this, it is very easy to use. It may seem a bit intimidating to look at at first for some (novices) but I found it easy to figure out, even without looking at the manual. I was able to get all the sounds I was looking for in less than an hour. With other multi-effects units, you need to spend several hours tweaking to just start getting close to what you are looking for.

I've read some reviews where sound quality is complained about but I have to say it is one of the best units out there for sound quality. All effects sound great and there is very little noise. If noise is a problem for you with your set-up, check your wiring from the guitar through to your amp. Plus the built-in noise gate can help you if needed. I use a US Fender Tele with a Peavey Transtube Studio Pro 112 and get nothing but great results.

This unit is built tough and can handle rough handling. Never had a problem with it and I fully trust it with having extra equipment for back-up.

I've been gigging for nearly twenty years and the ME-50 is the best, most reliable multi-effects unit I've ever used. I play all types of music: country, classic rock, pop, and hard rock and the ME-50's versatility lends itself to all genres of music. For the money, you cannot get more bang for your buck.

Covered already

I run this into a marshall 265R 212 combo so that I could get a deeper distortion for the harder edge stuff we play.I could have just got a couple of pedals but I dont like all the cables and power supplies.You have to set this up to the amp and guitar {LTD H1000 w/active emg's}that you are going to use.It can sound thin or heavy depending on the amp and the settings you use.It does mimic my marshall realy well so I will use the distortions on the boss Me 50. The tone mod is useless on the distortions but seems to do something to the clean side.....not sure what...The effects are good and the reverb works.The weird thing is that when you save a patch you have created the master volume is saved as well.I think it sounds good has plenty of drive on the distortions and overdrives.Delays are nice and clear.Here is the bottom line on any piece of gear,go check it out if it sounds good to you then take it home and try it with your rig.Then make sure you tweak it and make sure its going to work for you.If it does then nothing anyonelse says make a difference.I STRONGLY recomend to anyone that plays in a band to check gear out first in a band setting to make sure it sounds the way you want.What you think sounds good in the spare bedroom at home is not exactly what you are going to get at a club or bar when you have to turn it up to 4-6 to keep up with a drummer and the other guitar/bass players.I have seen bands over the past 15-20 years use everything from a zoom 505 to a full set of miss match pedals and make it work so try it and see what happens.Hope this helps anyone...Later.

Boss,metal case should be fine.

Great value if it works for you.But I must agree with alot of others here....BOSS WHERE IS THE POWER SUPPLY ? COME ON !!!!

I think you have to be a brain-dead moron like "Kev" below to not understand this thing. How much easier can they make it? This is probably one of the coolest Boss multi-effects units ever made outside of the OD-20. It's basically the OD-20 with everything else one could want to complete your guitar tone quest. If you take the time to "dial it in", it's an incredibly useful tool.

Take the best of all Boss has offered (except the rare and hard to find SG-1 Slow Gear, wish they would have included that)and combine it in one easy to use multieffector. You really have to be a moron not to get good sounds out of this box. Go ahead and waste your money on a bunch of different pedals and patch cables to try to get all this thing offers. It's not possible because on top of everything else, you can save 30 different presets ANY WAY that you want them. Wow. Plus cabinet/tone variation knobs gives you unbelieveable combinations of sounds. Compressor is excellent and QUIET! (no pumping) Noise Suppression is excellent and variable. Tuner works excellent. My only gripe is the Spring Reverb setting, as it allows the "boing" sound through too easily, but they give you 3 other stellar reverbs besides that to work with, so live with it. This unit destroys Pod XT, Tonelab, and other similar units. Boss has been making pedals a LONG time, they know what they are doing.

All metal chassis, solid unit feel. Time will tell, but again, it's a Boss product, should last a long time.

Never used their customer support.

Stellar, direct recording device or in front of an amp. They give you both options. All the core guitar effects you will probably need. What I like about Boss is that they don't have to come up with goofy names to spice up their product. They give you Overdrive, Distortion, Delay, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo, Reverb, etc.etc. You know they are good, most pro players use them to this day, and this is simply an incredible all in one package. I submitted a review on the OD-20 Drivezone as the first in a building block of effects. Now, they give me the OD-20 packaged in a multi-effect all in one solution which I didn't think was possible. NO MENUS!!! It's all there on top, dial it in, save it, go play. Way too cool. Thanks Boss!

Very bloddy annoying in "memory mode" even with a patch saved if you turn any knobs it will change the patch.. very annoying indeed, tuner is very inacurate for lower tunings dont even try tuning to b or lower, drop c is pretty much as low as it can handle... Manual was good, even though it lies about how good it is..

Complete and utter shit. The distortion only sounds good on a low volume if you try turning it up my amp farts with a fuzzy bass kinda noise, the chorus is shit I cant get a nice ryhtum distortion\Chorus going at all, the delay is poo as well, and it clunks badly when switching effects, and it's not like im using a crap amp and guitar I'm using a Marshall DSL100+1960A cab and a Explorer with a EMG81 on the bridge...

Wouldnt bring this thing to a shit fight.

Nope. I got more enjoyment smashing it to million bits with a tommahawk than playing through it, not much sense in ringing customer support now.

Shit, shit, and more shit. Do not buy this crap. if you see one in your local music store pick it up and throw it at the sales guy and tell him your dissapointed in him for selling such crap. I generally play hard rock ie. needing a decent distortion and a high output and this did neither I get a better tone out of the stomp box I banged together in my shed. seriously do not buy this junk I wouldnt piss on if it was on fire.

Easy to use but fine tweaking does require a read of the manual, so if you can't read, the benefits of the BOSS Me-50 will be limited(that might explain some of the very negative posts here).

I'm an amateur to be sure, but I've been banging on various musical instruments for the past 20 years. I have a few BOSS pedals in my collection and I've toyed with different processors and amp modelers in the music stores, but nothing has allowed to me get the range and quality of sounds I was looking for until the Boss ME-50. Are there processors with better effects and sound quality? I'm sure there are, but most likely not in my price range. And the ME-50 is good enough for my needs. In fact, it's more than enough. And much more than I hoped for, even after experimenting with one in the shop. Not until I purchased it, got it home, and learned to properly use and tweak its functions did it really shine (I especially like the distortion and reverb effects -- easy to achieve that AC/DC style tube crunch).

I pump this through a home-brew tube amp. If you don't have a good amp, don't worry. Plug in some GOOD headphones and you'll soon get lost in your own guitar world (I used the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro studio headphones and it sounds great).

As suggested in other posts, creativity depends in part on getting the proper sound to tinker with. I mainly like to create my own music and after only a fews days of playing with the BOSS I experienced a rush of creativity. I'm planning to put my existing effects pedals on the auction block.

So far so good.

I read through all of these posts before purchasing the ME-50 and I took special note of the negative evaluations. The good seemed to outweigh the bad, and seemed to be consistent with my own trial run of the product, so I took the leap. Perhaps my expectations were lowered somewhat, but after I received it and learned to tweak it, my expectations were completely blown away. The Me-50 must surely have its limits, so I'm not ranking it 10/10 like some other posts. If you're a pro and have time to explore all the options, you can no doubt find superior equipment. But if you're a regular 6-pack Joe like me, on a limited budget, you shouldn't be disappointed. I think you get quite a bit more than you pay for. Just don't expect the Boss ME-50 to transform your electric guitar into a full-bodied 12-string acoustic guitar, etc., or expect the factory patches to satisfy your every whim. If you don't like the patches, read the manual and learn how to tweak 'em. If you're a performing musician, be sure to read the other posts concerning usability on stage.

very good, intuitive, it pays to read the manual, but usable sounds are quickly available

the sounds are good, usefull. while I may have individual pedals that are more to my liking this is a great way to get to a gig and plug and play. the sound of the unit is very much a product of the amp you are using. so you can change the whole vibe by changing amps. so far I have to say that it seems to like solid state amps, but a tube amp with good head room would work

I think its a solid unit. I would go without backup. I can get through a gig without effects if necessary.I have never had a Boss product fail on me, ever.

no idea

I use this on pop gigs, it works fine. If you tend to stand on your pedals you will find your self in "tap mode" just don't do that and you will be fine. I have been playing for at least 40 years. I own lots of stuff. I would replace this if it were lost or stolen. I have used other boss multi pedals and for my use this is the best. The reviews of this pedal that are intensly negitive should be disregarded. This thing does the job without any fuss. So far I think it sounds better into the preamp rather than into the poweramp or effects loop. It wants some EQ with out a preamp its a bit brittle. so into the front end of your amp and roll off a bit of lows and boost the treble a bit and I am good to go.

As Roland advertise, this thing is simple and easy to use. All the settings can be changed and saved within like 5 seconds. But to me it is a little bit too simplified. for example in the tone mod section terms like "fat, tight, mild..." makes the unit look less professional to me.

This unit is pretty much designed to go with a real amp. If you use the line out option into the PA system, it is hard to get a good tone because this unit does not have an EQ section or amp modelling. If you want that, u should go with a GT6. The noise gate kicks in kind of slow and some of the distortion settings make quite alot of noise. Modulation and delay are ok. I just don't like how the tap tempo delay works in triplets instead of straight 8th notes. There is a slight half second silent when u switch patch in memory mode and the effects (delay and reverb) don't carry over so you will feel and sudden cut.

i've been using it for a year, in and out of gigs and my room... no problem so far.

don't know

I've been playing guitar for around 6 years, mainly rock and metal with my bc rich mockingbird with seymour duncans. if this was stolen, i would upgrade to some other amp modeling units becuase i'm more of a "travelling" guitarist, my tone would be more consistent if i plug into the PA everytime instead of adjusting to a different everytime. However, this unit is a good investment if u use it more for performance instead of recording. It's small and light and easy to adjust on the fly.

I pulled this thing out of the box and immediately began using it, only occasionally needing to refer to the manual. I found most of the settings easy to use - usually just a matter of adjusting a few knobs and/or pressing a switch or two.

My setup is a Carvin Bolt+ guitar plugged into the Boss ME-50, which is then plugged into a Roland Blues Cube 30 amp. All connected with Planet Waves gold-plated instrument cables with the tight-locking plugs. Each item in this setup has always been very quiet for me, including the ME-50 - no unwanted noise at all.

This Boss is my first effects box, so I can't say how it compares to others. But I have been having many hours of fun trying out the wide variety of effects. In a way using this box is like having a bunch of different stomp boxes to pick and choose from, to see which you like best.

I've only had this a short while, but its construction seems sturdy. Everything I've read suggests that Boss pedals are very reliable, and they back it with a 5 year warranty.

Never had to deal with them.

I am pleased with this purchase and would definitely replace it if something happened.

Others have made it clear that all you have to do is twist the dials. Writing patches is about as simple as I can imagine it being. The manual was clear.

I prefer it to units that require scrolling while looking at cryptic LCD displays.

Why not a 10? Because the tuner is a minor pain in the neck. It jumps around too much.

I use it with both nylon and steel electric guitars. It sounds good with both, but, I'm not that demanding. I use chorus, reverb, the volume pedal and the tuner. Now and then I add a little delay.

Chorus and reverb both sound good to me. The volume pedal works smoothly. I don't have enough experience with other delay devices to offer an informed comment, but it didn't make me sound like Metheny. Noise reduction and compression don't help me much. I don't like any of the distortions, but I don't need them. I don't find it too noisy in my application.

My major problem with the sound is that I would prefer a real EQ. The limited number of EQ settings attempt to simulate pickups. That doesn't help me much. I just want a 5 band graphic which allows me to save settings. Not on this device.

Another point is that the master volume control is helpful. Apparently, it can give enough gain to drive a line level signal adequately, or so I think.

I've used it on gigs without backup. It looks solid.

No idea.

I wish it had EQ. It would be nice if the various reverbs were on separate knobs, or selected by a switch on the one knob. It would be good for me if the knobs had a little more resistance. Every time I put the thing away (soft case) the knobs all move. I would have liked a bypass switch.

What I love about it may sound dumb, but I like it that my volume pedal and tuner are integrated with my effects. The tuner isn't great, but all I have to do is move my foot once to turn off the guitar and turn on the tuner. And, I can see it in the dark.

I play with my foot on the volume pedal at all times (btw, it's easier sitting -- when I stand up I tend to turn on the wah wah feature by accident because my foot is heavy on it).

The fact is that I'd probably like it even without the effects just for the volume and tuner -- although it would be an expensive way to accomplish those functions.

Great, works straight out of the box. It's a snip to edit the 30 patches arranged into 10 banks by pressing the edit button. By doing this in a live situation you can use the 3 footswitches to take off or bring in the fx according to taste.

Like most things, it does actually pay you to read through the manual to discover the full functionality. The manual is clear and easy to comprehend.

This is a Boss/Roland gadget and they are pretty much top of the shop market leaders. The ME-50 has enormous range and diversity. Sure, it can be noisy but what isn't until you master it to your own taste?

My setup also incorporates a Roland GR-20 guitar synth channeled via a separate monitor system but the ME-50 goes into a Traynor Custom 40 with a Celestion V30 fitted. Either my Eggle LA Pro or Strat Plus sounds just fine.

I can get what I need from this device.

If I had to name just one inspirational artist, I would say Jeff Beck.

The ME-50 has been well researched and developed IMHO. The sound you get out of it depends on what you put into it and how you shape it.

I take off one point for the 'ping' in the spring reverb but I don't miss it because the Traynor has a good spring reverb built in if I want that specific type - reach over and tweak, simple.

The Boss pedigree suggests that it is built like a brick sh*thouse, but I don't throw my stuff around because I have to pay for it like most other folk.

I have a bag with spare valves and fuses of course but I can't see me needing to worry about the ME-50 especially unless someone dumps a beer onto it but that's my look out.

Roland UK are ok at replying to email queries. They have a record of my purchases and I trust that they would honour the warranties they give. Never had to invoke them though so I can't say that they are incredible when the chips are down.

I play rock and reggae rhythm material and I seek to carve out my own sound and not just endlessly seek to find someone elses.

I've played on and off for 30 years plus and I gig more now than ever before. I've mentioned the Roland GR-20 already - if this kit went on the missing list I would have to buy the same things again because I'm getting what I want out of what I have.

If that sounds smug, excuse me, but I have made plenty of mistakes in getting here. Who doesn't?

I auditioned a GT-6 before choosing the ME-50 and decided that it gave me what I was looking for. The Korg 1500 at 150 GBP was another contender but it sounded a bit digital by comparison.

To address the lack of bank switching, here's a tip: get a Nobels FS-2U and a single stereo patch lead and set negative polarity. This tough metal box has 2 switches, it is convenient and does the job of two Boss unlatch type foot switches at about half the price of just one of them and it works perfectly.

A power supply and bank switches do add to the cost but inclusion in the package at the same price would have forced economies elsewhere and who wants corners cut in sound or build quality?

In response to Mike below, there is a button called 'edit/exit' on the front of the ME-50 that allows you to recall all the individual sounds from a patch in memory mode.

You can then turn them on and off usuing the pedals, just like in manual mode, and also edit them by moving the dials (the dial will kick in when it gets to the same position you had it at when the patch was saved..if that makes sense)

The entire reason I sold my Me-30 and bought this is 'ease of use'. I ALWAYS use any FX unit on manual mode and this is, to the best of my knowledge, the first that's been been designed especially for this purpose. Good work Boss. Although, as someone has pointed out in the Yahoo ME-50 users' group, it would have been visionary to add a pedal for edit, enabling as to access the full structure of any patch and to turn sounds on or off within that patch. But I'll still give it a 10, because that idea is jus t a good one that I heard.

I trust that nay-sayers are doing so because they are hearing digital sounds through it, but I cannot. Here's a go: noise suppressors do cut out sustain: nature of the beast; compressors are noisy: turn it up, there's more noise; master volume turns up->more noise. Why is there such snobbery about all-in-one FX units? I'm using a 1988 standard Fender strat and a homemade Jazzmaster into the ME-50 into Boss Dimension C into (double amp) Vox Cambridge 30R and Yamaha G50 210. The distortions sound great to me. NEVER overdo the gain. Same on any effect unit; same on ANY stompbox. Modulation FX are very good- even the more obscure uni-vibe is great. Choruses (chorusii?) are great. As good as or better than my Boss Dimension C. Delays are all excellent. Without exception. And reverb- why do people complain about the pinging on 'spring' reverb?? That is what springs do! And 'mod' reverb is an excellent idea- essentially allows 2 modulations FX at once. 'Tone modify' is great! The only complaint would be the harmoniser and +/- octave all have a slight performance pause. Will no FX company fix this?

What can anyone say about Boss stuff? My non-Boss pedals (about 10) average about 7 for reliability; Boss gets 10. Why why why are they so reliable?

It's lucky that they're reliable, because their cisutomer support (especially in Australia) is crap. As is thrir website.

We play ambient/alternative guitar pop. It is ideal- maybr it isn't everyone else's. I have been playing for 15 years and this is undoubtedly the best FX unit I've ever owned (others: Boss ME-30; Korg AX1000-G; Boss ME-5; Zoom 2020). I would DEFINITELY buy another if this grew legs and walked. Wish list: doesn't have auto-wish.

Its very easy to use. I didnt even need to read istructions and everything is writen by the buttons(or what) so you dont have even to try what every button does - he he he nice!!!

i found somewhere on the internet plans of chips(and i know electrotehnic) so i noticed that the chips are taken from boss pedals(ofcourse with some changes) and we know that pedals dont give sinthetic sound like all cheaper procesors. So thats good... I tried it with my fender frontman(25w but good one) but fender amps are not for distorsion(warm and soft) so i tried it with my marshal(its so old that i dont know its name hahahaha but i the sound is better than fender) so think that its thing that which sound you need and like is the point of everything so i cant tell anyone which sound and option is good or not. But i say that its near to those procesors which cost more than 1000e. Sound is very nice - i like it!!!

You can definitly depend on it... I play every saturday in a "heavy metal brothers caffe" with it and i never had a problem with it!!!

They re ok... I never had to repair it - lucky me he he he he... I dunno so i say they would probably help or anything...

1. I play metal, rock, blues(metal most of the time) and it is good match. 2.I play like i dunno about 10yrs., and i own gibson les paul(custom + my changes like skuls and some other shits on it), paul reed smith and washburn x50 also amps fender and marshal, some shity pedals and this... Also i have some mixets for recording(doesnt matter). 3.yes i would buy it again if someone steels it but i am not losing my stuff... Look, im to lazy to answer to all questions...LOL q:-{D

Easy to use with very little need for the manual. But if you have to refer to it, it's fine. Bought it new to replace my Behringer VAmp because although more than happy with it, didn't want to use the huge MIDI-pedal to access sounds and so the ME-50 solved all that.

I experimented quite a bit with this. As the manual says, this isn't designed to be patched in via the effects loop and I agree here - too weird and noisy. It works better through the front end of an amp. Through my Fender RocPro 100 the sound was good and warm, not digital or noisy IMHO. If anything, it was slightly toppy and the amp eq needed some drastic adjustments made to it. I then tried it through my Marshall Valvestate 80/80 power amp feeding 2 Celestion Vintage 30 Mesa Boogie speakers and got stunning results. However, my favourite set up and this benefits the acoustic patch which is highly useable and not an after thought, is via a DI box direct to the PA. I found all the effects ultra quiet and the distortion very usable, even down to the fact that I can clean things up via the guitar volume on my PRS without any loss of tone. I've discovered a couple of pedals that I really like e.g Blues Driver, Tube screamer - I do not know how close they are to the originals but these 2 used with some compression, reverb,delay and chorus form the basis of my sounds. Other effects are adequate.I've been able to emulate sounds by fave artists (Nile Rodgers, Andy Summers, Pat Metheny, Neal Schon) and play in a function band where different settings/sounds are required all the time - rock,funk,pop,jazz (check out the pickup simulator for this and it's serious alternative to the Variax guitar) and it's handled them better than the GT5 I use to own. Haven't experienced silly volume jumps or annoying delays when changing sounds. The more expensive PODs do this.
Minor gripes -
Wish the expression pedal had alittle more travel in it, especially for the wah sweep.
I would have preferred a choice of 4 preset buttons instead of 3 and a set of up/down bank buttons like on the the GT units. However, and I think I read this in another review, I use the Behringer 2 pedal switch for the latter and was lucky I already had mine as I think it works out cheaper than buying 2 Boss equivalents.

Generally, the unit is tough and rugged with the expression pedal seeming like the most fragile part. Mind you, it's the only part of the unit that's plastic.

Don't like using adaptors generally and in this case tiny movements sometimes reset the unit but then again most FX these days come like that. I'd get a spare one of these as adaptors are always giving up on me. Haven't had call to use the battery option.

I do still take my V-amp along with me but do not envisage having to use it.

I've dealt with Roland UK on several occasions for other equipment and found them to be freindly,approachable and knowledgeable. If I've required parts or manuals, they have been posted out and arrived exactly when they said they would.

Having gone down the rack route and then about to buy a top notch valve amp and pedals (Fulltone, Keeley etc), this unit saved me spending silly money and the results are fine for me.

I've been playing for 23 yrs and have owned alot of fx units. This is my favourite to date and I do not think you can beat the sound of Boss pedals. I would replace it with the same and preferred the ease of use and sounds over the GT6.
It's a natural sounding unit and I was surprised to see so many mixed reviews on this subject. If you're in the market for going down the amp/pedal route, I'd recommend this as a good sounding and easy routing (it works that out for you) option.

pretty easy to use

I am gonna give it a 9 not a ten. Using this to add to my tone has worked great. I do not use this pedal as another channel for my amp.Except when i am fooling around metal zone setting. I have a good guitar but weak pick ups and this box helped me out just fine. I think the tube screamer sounds good at all settings. I use some chorus everynow and then and a little compression on cleans. I like to have this pedal around to use as a tone modifier and adding little more dirt and it works good for that. There could be improvements but it is not hard to get some good sounds with this.

very dependable eats batteries

Could be better

Cool pedal I like to have but i am not depending on it for my main tone.

pretty esiy to use, simple.

for some reason its really noisy, the delay is pretty good, very few effects but they are pretty good quality, and didnt like the distortion, i couldnt customize the distortion, no 3 band EQ, onl ypre-set distortions, there is only like 12 of them, didn't like that at all, i would reccomend this item, you can buy something of the same quality a lot cheaper.

pretty safe, tough.

its ok, mid to bad item

Very simple to use, just like BOSS stompboxes.

ive used it on Solid state & Valve stacks at very high volumes and i couldnt find 1 distortion that was usable or didnt sound really digital, the delays were passable, Phase/Flange etc were ok & the expression pedal was just a waist of time. i really couldnt see any one using this quality of effect at a gig or in a studio.

I only kept my for a month & in that time i practiced with my band about 6/7 times and i didnt have a problem (apart from it sounding rubbish)

Ive delt with boss/Roland before and theve always been helpful, But for palming this of to the public as a cheap alternative to Stomp boxes im not to happy with them

I can see how this pedal could be fun for bedroom guitarist etc but in a live enviroment this pedal would make any player seem like a joke. the time delay swiching between effects is unbelivable.
Just in a practice the rest of my band burst out laughing when i went to punch in a distortion & i was greated with silence for at least 1 second (it felt like a life time). I feel that BOSS are cashing in on people that want a wide array of effects at a decent price. i personally took this back to the store and spent my #225 on a DS-1, CH-1, DS-2 & a crybaby. I now rock with pride again.

Very easy to use. You don't even need to really look at the user manual. Very user friendly.

I use either a modified G&L S-500 Strat or a modified Ibanez Jem 77FP hooked up to a modified Roland Blues Cube w/ 3 10" Vintage Celestions. Obviously I have a very good setup here, the only problem is the ME-50. It is quite fake sounding and only sounds good at low volumes. Just try turning the EQ to the acoustic setting and turning your amp up (it sounds terrible). Or try chorus up loud or distortion. Every time an effect it on at high volumes the ME-50 creates a crackly distortion noise that is very unnatural and displeasing to the ear. Sure with some adjustments I can get a decent distortion tone at high volumes but it takes a hell of a lot of work. The wah sounds like ass as well. The only good thing is the reverb which is quite nice. Also it is very bad for live use because with the pre-sets come volume drops when switching from preset to preset. The volume will completely cut out for a second or two. The unit sounds pretty good at low volumes though.

I would never use it live and I don't think you'd want to depend on it.

I play Jazz, Fusion, Metal, Rock, Country, Classical, but mainly Metal and Jazz. It is not a good match because it is not good in all of the different mediums. I've been playing for about 7 years and I teach guitar for a living. I would never buy another one if it were stolen or lost, I plan on getting rid of it as soon as possible. It sounds really good when quiet but don't turn up because you will regret it. I wanted a multi effects processer that was a floorboard, cheap, didn't have any amp modeling, and wouldn't dramatically change the sound of my setup. It appears I'll just have to go and buy a DigiTech G Major. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone unless you just plan on using it for teaching guitar, recording at low volumes, or don't have a lot of money.