Re: Boss MS-3
Right on. I'm so happy boss went with a TRS amp switcher this time
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As awesome as that is and that should have been on the GT-100, I'm starting to think this is a very watered down version of the GT-100.
Let me explain,
So the MS-3 in it's own right and thought is amazing. The ability to have effects in a switcher and have loops for effects is very cool and again the idea is exactly what I've been asking for from Boss for many many years actually since the GT-8.
With that being said the sound quality again isn't where it should be. It's NOT transparent and I think it's due to many factors that just don't need to be there.
Overall EQ - this should be just like a built in stomp box NOT something you have to use. I should be able to bypass the EQ and output level and all that other left over crap from the GT-100 but you can't. Your stuck with these things and now you have to figure out how to balance all that out just so your clean channel sounds like you have nothing in front of it when everything is switched off and your just playing your guitar sound only. WHY O WHY BOSS can't you leave all this crap out? It's not necessary as when you run pedals you don't need to have a EQ and level controls. This product should be exactly this
A 3 Loop pedal switcher with Amp Control TRS and Midi with Control IN's so you can use expression and volume pedals and have the ability to place them in the chain as you see fit. It should also have a spot for YOUR AMPS EFFECTS LOOP.
Wiring should be alway 4CM or if you have a clean amp only and want to run this thing out front with no effects loop, you should be able to just SHUT OFF the effects loop and remove it from the signal chain.
BUT NO thats not how this thing works at all and I'm kinda pissed off at it. It's not what I want.
So lets talk about the 4CM. You lose a Loop when you want to use 4CM. Who in the world isn't going to place effects in their amps effects loop if your amp is equipped with one? I makes NO sense to run modulation effects in front of a High gain or even low gain amp. Most amps have some kind of gain channel land we as guitar players use it.
No one is going to try and get all their gain off of OD pedals or in this case Digital effects built into the switcher.
I'm not knocking what it could be as I would love this thing to be a higher end effects switcher. It's the first of it's kind and I have much higher expectations of it.
The Trails of delay or any modulating effect. If you Switch patches, your delay is gone, no spill over. The GT-100 had that and it was fine. Why would Boss of all effects companies not have this? It makes absolutely no sense at all.
The TRS amp control is awesome. I can switch on my clean channel, my gain channel and Lead boost on my gain channel perfectly. Thats how it should be and should have been on the GT-100 but the GT-100 was stupid and only had ON and OFF control. So I could only use my clean channel and Gain channel with no Boost. I had to built patches with higher patch levels to adjust of that. Stupid Yes I know.
So back to the Loops, YES you have to use on of the 3 effects loops to go 4cm and guess what? You now changed the way your preamps sound. The internal analog to Digital and then back to analog changes the tone. If you remove this unit and wire up 10 effects pedals including a Volume pedal of a mix of brands including a few Boss effects by Waza Craft your tone stays the same as the Buffers in the Waza craft pedals are simply amazing. Now if you remove the Waza Craft Pedals from the chain your tone goes dark, not fizzy and loss of bass but loss of top end. The Switcher alters your tone exactly like the GT series units did. I have owned 3 of them and the GT-100 was the best one out of the 3 but still altered your tone.
The only thing I can think of I do not know how to setup all the stupid settings that should not be there and are.
So Patch level - it comes factory at 100 so in my opinion that 100 setting should be a neutral setting just like all your pedals are neutral except the effects levels which I feel are fine as you always want to dial in the amount of whatever effect your using and add it to your tone. WHY the F&*K does Boss think we need a patch level a global eq? with out the ability to bypass this crap?
I hate it so much and I never feel I can get it right. I have spent years with the GT series and never getting them right and now I have this thing and I'm starting to feel the same exact way.
GUESS WHAT? The editing software has been pushed back to August from July. This thing is amazingly hard to setup from the tiny stupid screen they decided to borrow from the Atari days and make you use this crappy display. It's horrible. The GT-100 had a better screen setup , it had 2 and you can setup the GT-100 from the 2 screens pretty easy but the Editor was still much better.
This stupid thing you need the editor as it's so confusing to use buttons for different rolls. They cheaped out when making the controls and tried to reuse buttons so you have less. MORE IS MORE in this case as I constantly don't use the right knob and I hate it.
I don't even use the 4CM with this thing right now as I hate the way it makes my amp sound and I'm talking with all effects off and just my guitar IN and OUT to the front of my amp. 4CM I wanted to throw it.
Once the Editor comes out, I'm gonna give it one last try. I'd love for someone to teach me how to setup all the different levels so I can just have a switcher that has built in effects that I can place in my signal chain as I see fit. Thats all I want and this thing I know isn't going to work out.
Why can't BOSS built a higher end version of this thing?When I saw the price at $399 I knew it was going to be cheap and crappy. A unit like this of much higher quality should cost at least $699 or more. I would gladly pay that or more for a high quality version properly done unit.
I love stand alone Boss pedals and have since the early 80's. I use other brands like TC electronics and BBE but Boss always has something for me. It's just when they do multi effects, they fall on their face hard. I don't understand how you can make Waza craft level products and then produce products like the new GT-1 and the MS-3?
I should just get the ES-8 and call it a day as long as it's JUST A SWITCHER with amp control midi etc. If it's all analog matrix switcher I think I'm gonna return the MS-3 and go that route. I have tried so hard over the years to get one of these multi effects unit to work for me as I totally love the ultimate control but can't stand the loss of tone.
The MS-3 is really disappointing and after I get the editor, I'm probably gonna take it back.
