On 2003-08-27, PJ gave this Boss Guitar Effects a 5...(5531)
Purchase: I got my boss GT-5 in thoma okaze, down in Ghent (Belgium). I was looking for a multi effect processor and this one was a second handed one for only €325.
Pros: Well if you have the right combination you can have the most clean sounds ever, without any zooming on the background. The offering of pre-programmed sounds is huge and a lot of fun. You can have everything from a funky sound to the perfect imitation of a Marshall 1959 head with a slight OD. I really like those old rock overdrives and distortions and there are a lot of them too! You won't have to worry the sounds won't fit you, there will some you don't like, but most are very decent.
It also has a very nice tuner. You can find almost every function of the little pedals packed and stacked in this one.
Cons: Well sometimes the thing jams (very rarely though) and i haven't figured out yet why
Also when you buy this kind of thing second handed, please ask if they still have the manual, or else it won't be easy.
Quality: I think every pedal that boss had ever made is very solid, you can't even break the 'lil ones and especially not the GT-5 Summary: If you like effects and freaky sounds, this one has got it all, also for the old rock 'n rollers : the "Jimmy Hendrix" sound and the "Beatle" sound is on it too.
Search for more Boss Guitar Effects reviews and comparisons On 2002-02-09, Nicholas E. Berndt gave this Boss Guitar Effects a 5...(1597)
Purchase: Bought this unit at Guitar Center in Covina, Calif. I first played through one at band
practice, after the bass player's brother brought it over to try it out. I had to have one.
I paid the full $600.
Pros: The versatility was beyond my expectations. Some may complain about the unit
not being capable of warm, true tube-like tones, but for me, it had all the sound and
responsiveness I could have wanted. The JC-120 preset was almost perfect. Great
swirling chorus tone. Throw single-effect pedals into the effects loop, and you can
dial up any tone you can, or even, can't imagine. Everyone in our band loves the thing.
Line it straight into the mixer, and you're good to go. Even the acoustic simulator
seems to sound pretty good, since most of those units are hopeless to my ears.
Cons: Editing the presets can become cumbersome. Keep the manual. You will need it.
Navigating through all the buttons can get tedious and might start to get
confusing. I have never tried the MIDI features, so I don't know how that would work.
Figuring out how to set the wah pedal to to it's job was difficult, if not impossible
in some cases.
Quality: All-metal chassis has stood up to my stomping, which is a good thing since I weigh
about 300 lbs. The input level pot needs to be cleaned or replaced, since it has
developed a few dropout spots. Still, an easy repair. Summary: I have'nt gone through all the presets yet, so I am still unaware of all it's sonic
capabilities. So far the unit has performed admirably. I have used it to record a few
demos, and no one has mentioned any flaws in the guitar's tone or sound.
Search for more Boss Guitar Effects reviews and comparisons On 2001-11-23, a barr gave this Boss Guitar Effects a 4...(871)
Purchase: Bought for $400 used to replace my less-than-adequete digitech rp-12. In particular I wanted better light overdrive sounds and better quality effects than the rp-12 could give
Pros: External effects loop! I can throw whatever pedal I want into the effects chain.
Programable effects order - add delays before distortion if you want, wah after distortion, etc ... any effect can be put
wherever.
Boss also gives you a lot of flexibility with the EQ ... EQ settings are found in the amp simultar effect, in place of a modulation effect and as a global effect ... all very useful for what they were intended for (emulating an amp sound, sculpting the sound, and compensating for you amp/PA set up).
They also gave a lot of different phaser sounds, but since I'm not a phaser guy I can't really comment on how useable they all are.
Another appreciated addition is a trim knob next to the guitar input ... so I apply a hot signal from a mixer, or various guitar instrument levels without adjusting effects volumes.
Cons: Lots of gimmick effects like ring modulation that over 99% of the people who buy this will never use. Also the wah is *very* weak - it has no 'roundness' to it at all, it just sounds very dead.
The preamp/amp simulator is very bad by today's standards as well... you can't get crunchy metal sounds, warm tube amp sounds, or much useful in between. What you can get are very sterile, solid state sounding distortions ... think Boston.
They left out a 6 or 8 voice chorus too, so I have to stick my old boss chorus ensemble pedal in the fx loop :(
Quality: The case is metal, and seems pretty rugged. The pedals also feel like they're not going anywhere. Summary: If you don't use lots of wah, and you already have a nice sounding amp this should give all the effects and flexibility you will need. But if you're like me (playing through small practice amps and PA systems), this will not give nice organic tube-ish guitar sounds.
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© Chris Bereznay - Gear Review Network / MusicGearReview.com - 2000
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