Boss ME-6 Guitar Multi-Effects

The Controls of this unit really explain themselfs, easy as a breeze.
Editing and copying goes like one twoo three.
The manual, albeit not needed, forms a nice compliment and would teach even the dumbest around how to work with the unit within minutes.
Choosing different sound-effects couldn't be simplier, just stomp the relevant pedal and there was light...(ok a little red one, but "crystal" enough, even the manual mode benefits of this system.

Fender USA with a Seymore Duncan Hotrail bridgepickup and Texas special mid and neck pickups, into a Jim Dunlop Cry-Baby, into my Marshall 8080 (Valvestate).
Noise : non existant on clean settings, but with multipple effects it sometimes just get's away with it (Especially Flanger).
Distortions are pretty straigtforward but kick in the EQ and you're in distortion heaven ! Sweep the mid-range (if you dare) and your off into a wide variaty of eardrum-piercing tones.
Chorus is nice (Fatten's yer sound) and compression is great. The best effect must be the delay which,as a solo-guitarist, adds greater dimension to my overall leadsound.
Pink-Floyd, no problem (Watch out Dave...)
Deep Purple, Santana, Guns 'n Roses, Radiohead, Pearl Jam,... you name it. I even managed to recreate Mister Steve Vai's Sound without the Eventide !!!!(Phew)
Noise reduction tends to cut your sound a little too much, but only when you have to put a higher tresshold because of erky pickups.
My advice: get a good guitar (!!Pickups!!!)and this unit sounds fantastic

Stomp it, Kick it, chew on it.... and you might break your foot or dental structure. It evens swallows beer, softdrinks without belching

Never dealt with them, never needed to

Excellent value for money, but get yourself a decent guitar because with my squier strat it didn't sound that great, good, but not great.

This model is supprisingly easy to use. There are only a few things to press, but at times the edit buttons can be a bit anoying.Over all this effect was simple and very easy to follow.

The sound on this effect is terrible.The distortion was fuzzingly disturbing, feedback pearcing and a genaral anoyance.The chorus is extemely flat, and the flanger was uncontrolable.Infact the sound from the ME 6 was a great dissapointment.

Well what can i say about the reliability, ive had the ME 6 for 4 years now and all thats left is a pile of junk.Dont get me wrong, when it worked it worked fine but one day it just stopped.All conections were loose solders were broken, infact the whole outer shell and inners were very weak and basically fell apart in my hands.

If you ever come across these effects, whether second hand or in a shop run, run as fast as you can.

Very few buttons and easy to edit.
You have about 25 different sounds. I swear, you can only use a few of them (excepted you play psychedelic music)
So it is not a pity that you have to save you own settings on erasing existing ones.

I think it has already been said : the distortion and overdrive sound very bad. Even if it is possible to pre-equalize the distortion, it never has the sound you dreamed of. Delay is nice , reverb sounds a bit metallic, noise gate is not very good (a lot of noise is left even at high values). The chorus is allright but not very exiting.
You will soon notice that only the 25 presets sound good. When you edit and create your own sound, the range within you can vary is small and most of the time you are limited to slightly modify existing presets, otherwise you will have problems.

It has travelled a long way since I bought it 14 years ago.. Has fallen from the amp, out of my bag, down from the stage. It has seen of lot of beer falling on it. It still works, only the editing buttons have become tricky and I sometimes have to fight with them in order to modify a setting.
But, well , OK , I haven't been very nice to it.

Never used

Well, it does what it does.... it is very easy to use. Very easy to take it with you and it sounds not that bad.
Anyway, don't ask too much on these foot-multi-effects. They will never have the sound of rack systems.
But...look at the price man! You can have a used one for a few dollars only!

It took me exactly two hours to figure out what I was doing (Mind you I have no manual) but now I have it working and the sounds programmed where I want them. A 6 because the interface is a little crowded. There are no analogue controls on it at all. They get a bonus point for doing it all digitally with little problem to the user.

Setup: Danelectro DC-3 (And I like it) or a Lyon solid body through the ME-6 and into a Park 15" or a Carvin 25" (Tube/Solid Hybrid). The pedal is not as noisy as some I have owned. It depends a lot on how you have the ME-6 and your amp set up.

The effects: According to the reviews I've read there is some controversy over the quality of the pedals. Let me clear things up a little bit. Going from left to right, ignoring the compressor, straight to the distortion. The Overdrive settings are, as many have said, weak. But overdrive isn't meant to be overpowering. If you play with the equalizer (which I will get to) you can get the overdriven sound you want. The other three distortion settings are much more gritty, but you can infinitely vary the sound how you want it by using the equalizer. The equalizer is a really handy dandy effect, and I never turn it off. It does what it does very well, and if used properly, will get the distortion to wherever you want it. If you still don't like the distortion I suggest you invest in a DOD Death Metal (FX-86/B) and forgo multi-effects altogether. The noise suppressor is just slightly too slow. Even at the highest threshhold it still subtly 'fades out' instead of cutting out altogether. The delay effect was also nicely done, it delays up to a full second and with a little tweaking can be infinitely looped. Very dada. The chorus/flanger effect just feels like one of Danelectro's assorted mini pedals - well enough. The reverb works like any reverb, but can be 'reverberated' very thickly, rediculously thickly even.
One of the questions is 'can you get the sound of your favorite artist', and the answer is, yes, quite easily, as I am my favorite artist, and I sound damn good. I sound good with this pedal too.
The best effect? The delay. The worst effect? The chorus/flanger (the chorus is to hard too deepen without making it sound bad and the flanger takes too much time to find a setting that dulls the swish but keeps the effect - much like Dano's mini flanger pedal). It gets an 8, losing two key points: Good sounding chorus/flanger, and average distortion (It can be above average if you play with the equalizer though).

I was wondering how it remember the settings after I pull the plug, so I took it apart looking for a battery (I bought it used so if it had a battery it would prolly need replacing). Though I never found a battery, I did notice that the breadboards were solidly mounted, and inside a similarly solid metal casing under the plastic outside. Looks can be decieving. I don't trust the plastic pedals, but if you're not an ass with your equipment I can't see why you would have a problem.
I have gigged with it and it held up fine. My backup in case the ME-6 failed was a MetalZone. A seven because the soft rubber buttons have the potential to jam (They haven't and prolly won't unless I unintentionally step on them, which I might) and because there is plastic on it at all.

THEIR WEB SITE IS USELESS IF YOU NEED SUPPORT. Especially if you have used equipment, which means you have no manual to look for even an address on. Luckily I have the manual from my MetalZone, which has contact information on it. If you need help with anything Roland or Boss related, THEIR WEB SITES ARE USELESS!!!

I play noise/art rock. This pedal does not match my tastes and needs to a T, but it is very portable, and meets the medium requirements (more than the minimum requirements) to be a peice of my equipment.

If it were stolen or lost I'd be very pissed, because when I spend more than $50 on something used I'd expect to hold on to it. If I couldn't find another ME-6 that cost less than I spent on the first one, I would save up and get an ME-30... but only after I played with it first.

I love the headphone feature. I hate hitting the wrong button and inadvertantly editing a different effect than the one I had just been editing. I don't have a favorite feature, because all of the effects are well done. None stand out as spectacular, but they all work at LEAST averagely. Metalheads may want more 'stortion but really, you won't be able to use the other effects if you that distorted.

I wish it had a built in tuner, but if I understand correctly the ME-30 does. I compared the ME-6 to a $90 Zoom and a $230 Digitech. The Zoom was underwhelming and the Digitech was too pricy. The Boss matched the distortion well enough with the MetalZone to replace it and it cost about as much as the metalzone, but with five effects to boot.

All aside, the effects can't make your music better. That's up to a quality guitarist. If you use it right, and use the 'exotic' effects (Delay, Chorus, Flanger) correctly you can really impress people. abuse the effects, and you'll just annoy your audience (...particularly flanger).

Overall, I find it is a solid pedal in every aspect. It is not lacking in anything, but it could be better everything. For what I paid for it though, it's a 10, but in reality, it's a...

Pretty straight forward, owners manual helpful for storing patches etc.

Really sucks. I think Boss tried to accomplish to much with this multi effects pedal.

Had it for five years worked fine, just sounded CRAPPY.

I got rid of this pedal a year ago. I have gone back to individual pedals. Seems like they do a much better job performing the single task they were made for. I am doing this review just so you will know that the reason this pedal is so cheap on the used market, is because it is not a very good effects pedal for sounds.

This unit is easy to use. The presets are decent but, there is a lot of stuff that you would never use. The manual is easy to follow.

I use this unit with a music man HD-130 tube head, a 2x12 cab, and a SG guitar. I've gotten good sounds for playing metalica, STP,and other modern rock. Doesn't have the greatest distortion. The flangers and the delays are pretty good.

The plastic box and plastic inputs haven't held up for me. Right now, it is just a piece taking up space in my colection of junk equipment.

Had it worked on once. It took forever to get the schematics from boss to the dealer. And the input jack broke again and again. I would not recomend this to anyone who moves around when playing.

It's an old unit. It dosen't cut the cake for playing some of today's music (Korn, Bizkit, RATM). Save your money and buy something newer and made of metal. By the way I purchased this about 93.

Using this stomp-box is incredibly easy. I bought it used, and I learnt using it without any manual within an afternoon.

Compressor: Quite good Over/Dist: It's just rubbish! They're neither powerful amp-simulating overdrive nor warm and fat distortion; the sound loses it's deepness, when using these (I use the overdrive of my Marshall Valvestate 4060, and a Boss SD-1 SuperOverdrive). Equalizer: I use it very few, but it seems very good... Noise Suppressor: Good for clean sounds (sometimes...); when using distortion or overdrive with a high level of Suppr., the sound is unnatural, it sounds like plastic... Delay: A bit noisy, only one second delay time, mono only; but it's good if you never had a delay before it. Flanger/Chorus: The flanger is not too bad; I don't like the Chorus (but I never used one before, and I never heard it on stereo). Reverb: As if it weren't there! I use the reverb of my amp; that's good!

I broke only one button once, but it was because a guitar fell on it!

Never met them. I bought it used.

It's good for weird sounds... Synth-like sounds, Experimental sounds... But only for that. Luckyly we play Noise (Sonic Youth...), so I use it with not-bad results. But I would never recommend it to anybody. I've been playing it for 8 months circa, but i'd like to buy a wah-wah, a Boss Metal-Zone or Hyper-Metal and a good Delay (not a Boss one: too expensive). I would never buy it again. Anyway, this is my first multi-effects unit, and it gave me the way to understand many things, and above all, what to buy and what not.

Ok, there is nothing difficult here, this unit is relativelly easy to use.

I play a japanese Fender strat wired into a cry baby and then the me6 leading to the amp (CARLSBRO scorpion lead). Noise is acceptable, not too much but still there when you are using distortion. Nothing noticeable when you are not using distortions. Unfortunatelly the sound quality of the whole thing is bad. The distortions are crap. Especially mode 5 (pre equalised distortion) sounds bad. Not recomended for blues or heavy metal players. THERE ARENT ANY BLUES SOUNDS COMING OUT OF IT WHATSOEVER. Delay is muddy and i guess if you have crap delay and crap overdrive/distortion there arent much to talk about. Good for weird sounds though, you can come up with very weird sounds

THIS IS A TANK, you can kick it, step on it and it will still be ok. I 've used it for 4 years now and i can surelly say its one of the best designs i ve seen in floor units.

never dealt with them

Overall i wouldnt recomend this unit to anyone into blues or heavy metal. There are so many better units out there. Just avoid it.

Sounds great with some fine-tuning. Effects settings are easy to edit, both in Play Mode and Manual Mode. The ME-6 features a row of six large footswitches labeled 1 - 5, and B. B = Bank, so players can easily select a patch from another bank with three quick taps -- no scrolling through banks. Players can concentrate on their playing instead of watching the scrolling numbers on the LED. This feature kicks Digitech's ass! The ME-6 is out of production; Boss's newest offerings are the high-end GT-5 and the competetively priced ME-30. I haven't tried the ME-30, but I know I don't like the footswitch layout.

The modulation effects (chorus/flanger) are lush, but the flanger's master level must be kept under 50% to keep the sweep from drowning out the guitar's tone. Stereo and mono choruses are good, but nothing phenominal. Delay provides a natural-sounding echo, and you can even make infinite loops with some tweaking (very cool!); I wish delay time was longer, as this only goes up to 1,000 miliseconds (ms). Four Reverb modes are okay, but too bright; you'll need to turn the delay tone down. I really like the compressor because you can get a very even string response and boost your sustain. Compressor really enhances the overdrive effect. Distortion modes 1-4 are good, but mode 5 is too fuzzy; it might be good and grainy enough for grunge rock. Mode 1 = soft tubelike overdrive; mode 2 = crunchy tubelike high-gain overdrive; modes 3 and 4 are differently voiced solid-state distortions (4 is good for '80s hard rock/metal). The noise gate is always on, but features an adjustable threshold; I like to keep it low so I can get controlled feedback when using distortion. Finally, the equalizer: it rocks, but the Mid-Freq selector can be tricky. I try not to mess with it too much; it really depends on the characteristics of your different guitar + pickup + amp combination. I've finally found a good Joe Satriani sound (after five years!). See Tone Depot Web site. Not 24-bit, but clear enough for good tone on a budget.

I've been stepping (not jumping) on mine for five years. I've left it in hot and freezing extremes in the back of my car. I've sweated and spilled drinks on it. I've gigged with it only once (the only time I gigged), but it's roadworthy. Just be careful not to unplug yourself from it. The input/output jacks don't have the strongest grip in the world on 1/4" plugs.

Great value!

25 patches directly programmable, very easy accessable, for quick editing (even during gigs). However, in manual mode, when you disable a certain effect and you keep the (blinking) cursor on that position, you can hear the blinking through your amp...sucks. I found out after playing 2 songs....while we were taping a demo! Manual is good enough (you don't really need it).

At rehersal time I use it with a peavey 50W amp (if you like good sound don't buy this either). I play metal, rock and a bit of grunge playing on a Jackson Dinky XL. I prefer a warm overdrive sound (like Marshall), but this sound CANNOT be achieved with this unit. Distortion and overdrive sounds flat and definitely NOT tube-like. So don't buy this unit if you're looking for a reasonable or even good distortion. At home I'm using the unit on the effects loop of my Marshall valvestate 8080 (now that's an overdrive!), which works pretty well. Noise surpressor 's good, but I ALWAYS need it, 'cause the damn thing is too damn noisy. Compressor is good, EQ can not satisfy me, Delay is pretty good, (mono) chorus sucks,(I haven't tried the stereo's on amps, but through headphones they sound pretty good!). Flanger isn't warm enough. Reverb is reasonable but not great.

Allthough the all-plastic-case suggests otherwise, this thing's quite strong. Inside there's a metal case in which the electronics are. So it's stronger than you think. I have it for 5 years now (or so), and I didn't have serious problems with it. Some (edit)buttons now broke down since a month, so I'm goin' to fix it for the first time next week.

I will find out next week!

This thing great for your first effect processor, if you don't have much money to spend. It gives you reasonable sound (except overdrive/ dist) for little money. I wouldn't buy it again though. advanced players (I'm not saying I am!) should spare some money and buy something better (= much more expensive). And remember: listen before you buy! Don't take shit from salesmen.