Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

[devastone]

I've been a pretty diehard analog guy, at least for preamps and tone shaping but I came across a used GT-100 for a really good deal and thought I'd give it a shot. I haven't used real amps in a long time, the only place I play these days is at church so I've been using my pedalboard with an AMT SS-11b preamp and my pedals into a power amp and 1-12 or direct. I've tried some multi-effects in the past with mixed results, effects were pretty good, but the amp models just didn't do it for me.

So far I'm pretty impressed with the GT. I've created a couple of patches and the ability to have 2 channels on each patch is really useful. I usually just go to a patch and switch to manual mode and use it like a pedalboard, so good basic amp sounds are important. It's also nice to be able to rearrange the effects and even move then to a specific channel chain. I did add a 2 button footswitch for channel changing and solo boost since I've got all the other switches assigned to effects. The accel pedal with an s-bend is cool too for those Satriani whammy effects.

But, most important, the amp models are pretty good and actually feel pretty good, they've come quite a way.

I know I've just scratched the surface on this so far, and I'm running into a power amp and cabinet, haven't dug into the amp and mic models direct much yet.

So, enough rambling, anyone else using one of these?

 

[Hank-]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

Not using that but have the gt10. They made the manual mode feature more accessible on the 100, on the 10 i use the assign feature to turn it on when the exp pedal is at 100% toe position of travel & off at ~95% travel, that helped to avoid using an external footswitch & have the Ctrl pedals do specific things besides simple on/off.

There used to be a gtcentral forum that got shutdown, it had some awesome user submitted tricks in it. Anyways its quite a powerful control box, takes while to go beyond its surface, the amp section can get crazy in editing when uaing custom amps. The advanced preamps are supposed to be the best feature in the gt100 for dynamics &sound, check out the advanced natural amp with more gain & natural od type boosting it, should be fun & dynamic.

Edt: make sure the output select option is set to correct mode when going direct or through a cab or the amp modelling sounds like crap. Also you can use the preset switches to change channels when stomped again & not in manual mode.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

I bought one from an associate who needed cash in a hurry. After programming up a few Adrian Belew style sounds, I sold the unit on to my brother. (My brother has only ever played through solid state guitar amplification.) If I did not already have a Roland VG-99, I might have kept the BOSS GT-100.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

The one I played with was really cool. Boss had the 'throw every parameter and a million options in the box' down for 2 decades, at least. I used an older GP-100 for years.

 

[devastone]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

Edt: make sure the output select option is set to correct mode when going direct or through a cab or the amp modelling sounds like crap. Also you can use the preset switches to change channels when stomped again & not in manual mode.

Yep, very important. I had a GT-6 years ago that I pretty much only used for effects back when I was using real amps and I like it quite a bit but ended up going back to stompboxes. I tried a GT-10 for a while about a year ago and didn't really get into it, or maybe I didn't spend enough time digging. I heard the 100's models were big step up from the 10 so I thought I'd give it a try.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

Only because I don't have one.

 

[devastone]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

Well fix that!

The models have gotten a lot better, it's probably going to become my whole fx/amp rig... It will definitely make life easier.

 

[aclaar877]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

I got a GT-100 three years ago and love it. I use it in front of a Vox combo, so I don't use the preamp sims, but lots of people do and are satisfied with them. Many guys have ditched their analog pedal rigs, some have given up on the GT-100 and gone back to pedals. Overall, the effects in front of an amp are very good, and have many parameters with wide ranges, so there is a lot of capability in the unit. For someone who plays out 1-2 times a month, I'm not in the market for any analog pedals, except maybe a shimmer effect. I can't get the GT-100 to do shimmer very well. Maybe someone has figured out to do it--I haven't checked lately. I was active on the old GT forums, and now the facebook group. Consensus is that the GT's weak spots are the speaker sims and then the preamp sims, so if you have a nice amp already don't ditch it yet! There is a learning curve involved with figuring out which effect settings sound best with your guitar and amp, but once you get those down, creating new sounds is pretty easy.

 

[koshikas]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

i totally agree on everythin being said about the GT. setting the output select appropriately is very important. if you are goin direct to mixer console, speaker simulation is important and it is very finicky. something that works for one thing might not work at all for another. you will have to do your share of experimentation. the only thing that I have to add on top of this is that, i have only able to get consistent results goin direct into the mixer only after i introduced Radial JDI.

IMO the only thing that has sucked so far in BOSS GT-series is that they have skipped XLR outputs for so long, which leaves such wide grey area as to how best we can go DI into a mixer.

 

[mantis]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

I'm a long time user of the GT series. I had the 8 then 10 and now 100.
I don't like the GT-100 amp modelers at all. Then again I'm not a Modeling kinda guy. I much prefer my amps tone and I spent a lot of time dialing it int o retain my amps natural tone.
The GT-100 is a better unit then the previous units but I want Boss to come out with a higher end Non Modeling unit. Effects only with all the abilities it currently has but ad a stereo Control out 1/4 for amps that have 3 channels or use the 3rd control for Effects loops reverb etc.
I use the 4CM and amp control.

 

[Artie]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

There is a learning curve involved with figuring out which effect settings sound best with your guitar and amp . . .

Setting the output select appropriately is very important. if you are going direct to mixer console, speaker simulation is important and it is very finicky. something that works for one thing might not work at all for another. you will have to do your share of experimentation. the only thing that I have to add on top of this is that, i have only able to get consistent results going direct into the mixer only after i introduced Radial JDI.

Ditto x10. I have the GT-001, which is basically the desktop version of the GT-100. I almost sent mine back. But I'm giving it a 2nd chance as I realize how sensitive it is to setting proper input/output parameters. Also, it likes a very clean input signal. I first started using it with my Peavey Rockmaster with a Duncan Nazgul pickup. Switching to my axe with the Slash AII Pro's helped tremendously. As others have said, this thing has a steep learning curve, but I think that once mastered, it's probably a keeper. I'm not quite there yet.

One thing I will say for this, it makes a nice guitar rig for late-night headphone practice.

 

[9core]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

i love it so underated[video]https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn6GXkU6un7rYU8uXCd_PgPTgw56XsUby[/video]

 

[devastone]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

I'm really enjoying this thing. I was going play some Hendrix-y stuff last night, well, my rough interpretation, so I created a patch for that. I've heard complaints in the past about the problem with the GTs was that you were limited to one of each effect, where say, on the Zoom G3 or something, you could have 2 or 3 delays in a patch. I don't know if this is new with the Gt-100, or new with the version 2 software, but you can program multiples of the same effect in the FX1 and FX2 slots (in addition to the standard Comp, OD, Chorus, and Delay slots). You can also place effects at any point in the signal chain, it has come a long way from the GT-6 I had years ago, and it seems to be better than the GT-10 I played with a little last year, but I may not have given that much of a chance.

So, for a Hendrix setup you need (in my mind) a Uni-Vibe, Octavia, Fuzz Face, Echoplex, 4-input style Marshall amp, and plate reverb (anything else is gravy, maybe some tape flange?). So I was able to put a Uni-V in FX-1, and was going to use a pitch shift with the fuzz to mimic an Octavia, but discovered that I could set up an Octavia in FX2 and a 60s Fuzz in the OD/Dist slot and run them both together for some nice fuzzed out octave Hendrix-y tones. Pretty cool.

I really dig using the accel switch for those Satriani whammy pedal octave swells.

This may be old news to you guys that have been using one of these for a while, but I thought it was cool. Old dog, new tricks, I think this is going to be my new setup.

FWIW, I used the GT-100 in church this past Sunday and only used one patch, with a phaser, flanger, comp, OD, clean Twin on one channel, Marshall 1959 on the other channel, chorus, delay, and reverb. I love the ability to have 2 channels on one patch, it's kinda like my regular pedal setup, I did add a Boss FS-6 for channel switching and solo boost (another cool feature). Just not sure what I'm going to do with all the rest of the patches...

FTR, so far, I am not a fan of all of the amp models, so far my favorite dirty amp is the Marshall 1959, it has more gain than a real one, and add in a OD pedal and there is a lot of gain available. I do need to spend more time with some of the models. Next is to figure out a Nuno Waiting for the Punchline tone, that's a tough one.

Hopefully it's not just a honeymoon thing 'cause I'm really digging just carrying this with me.

 

[Hank-]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

^ :bigok:

I think the sub delay & chorus were added in the gt8 onwards. You can get four digital delays or two digital & one special type in a patch in series or parallel formation. With the gt100 v2 update they added sub OD section to the Fx1&2 blocks i think, so now you can stack ODs as well.

I liked the zoom G3 ZFXIV chip modelling over the gt10 for ease of use but the dsp limit & max 6 blocks of fx can get aggravating sometimes if two of them are being used by a noise gate & EQ, but they have excellent reverbs in it which i liked awhole lot more than the gt10. I recently got a zoom g1on that i need to do a npd thread as well.

 

[devastone]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

Thanks! The sub effects are a definite plus to the unit. Seems like I read somewhere that you could only do 1 delay (or any effect) in the GT units so I was surprised to find that you could do multiples of the same effect. Of course, I read that on the interwebz, so go figure.

I had a G3 too, I only used it for effects. Strangely, I wasn't a fan of the models in it, but I admit I didn't spend much time with them. For using on it's own, the GT form factor and number of switches makes it much better for live use.

 

[Lysergene]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

I had a GT-10 for ages and had to use a separate unit for distortion. I do use quite a lot of gain though. As far as I'm concerned the last multi unit they did with decent amps and distortions was the GX700 and then they seemed to get progressively worse. Maybe the GT100 is an improvement? That would be typical, seeing as I ended up buying an Axe FX.

Maybe I'm too picky. The other effects are - as one would expect from Roland - pretty good.

 

[devastone]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

I think the models are a step up from the GT10 on the GT100, but I admit I didn't spend a lot of time digging into the models on the 10.

 

[Lysergene]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

Well, it's about time they sorted it! In my opinion it's good to have everything in one box for live stuff. I do use a lot of strange and complex signal chains though.

 

[geetard]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

It seems like a great box! They are likely to produce an updated model soon (gt200?) I think because this was released in 2012 AFAIK. I might consider it if I have the cashmunny available and the reviews are good.

 

[devastone]

Re: Boss GT-100, anyone using one?

We'll see how far I make it past the honeymoon phase, I had a 10 for a little while and went back to pedals. I really hate programming but am trying to make this work 'cause it's so nice just to carry the one thing.

FWIW, I'm still liking it, although when my ADD kicks in when I'm programming something I look at me pedalboard and go, hmmm...