why dont people like the boss GT-8?

[wahwah]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

I have a personal aversion for AD/DA converters anywhere between guitar and amplifier. Even the 24 bit converters in a GT-8 are still gonna mess with the signal in a way that I personally dislike, quite intensely. Hey, even an Apogee between guitar and amp would be disturbing, and you can be assured that the converters in a Roland guitar device are not gonna be Apogees! Digital conversion does something very ugly to the foundation of the tone and feel, IMO. The acid test is to play through one of these devices for an hour and then plug straight into a tube amp, with or without analog pedals. If you can't hear or feel the difference then you should immediately ignore everything I'm saying because it doesn't apply in your case. But if, like me, you find yourself saying "what the **** have I been wasting my time on this **** for?" then you know exactly what I mean. Great concept, great "swiss army knife," but at the expense of the organic relationship between pickups, amps and speakers for me. I can live with a little germanium, JFet or even silicon in the chain, but I personally draw the line at AD/DA converters.


Cheers....................wahwah

 

[34029324079]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

"Digital conversion does something very ugly to the foundation of the tone and feel, IMO."


...yuck. I dont want to be even vaguely associated with that. Some of the bands I was trying to join would let me in on talent but threw the gauntlet down on my equipment (so Im told). I like this gizmo here: lets you change channels and effects loops all at once. go from clean channel with reverb/flanger to distortion with distortion pedal in one stomp:

best one Ive found yet.


The Loop Gizmo is the first true bypass pedal looper to incorporate function switching. This allows users to simultaneously switch their amplifier channels and pedal effects with a tap of a single button - without the need for MIDI or a complex switching system.

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

For what it's worth, I love my ME-50, but I'd rather be able to afford a bunch of analog pedals and then have someone build me a custom multi out of it

 

[34029324079]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

For what it's worth, I love my ME-50, but I'd rather be able to afford a bunch of analog pedals and then have someone build me a custom multi out of it

thats cool - i for one appreciate the insight

- I have the Boss ME-30 which is a step below - I got it 10yrs ago - I used it for vocals live (for gimmic use only)- I have alot of fun with it but I would never use it live for guitar except for very limited uses like 10 seconds of gimmicky effects at the beginning of a metal song. 10yrs ago I used it live and the soundguys and people in my band hated it.

 

[Philcguitars]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

I'm sorry but...

Whilst I 'live' with true bypass, I really don't believe in it from a Tech point of view. Too many variables, and that's just between manufacturers.

 

[_Guitarzan_]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

I feel that most multi effect processors color the tone so much They are very unusable. I used to have one about ten years ago and then one day I decided to just plug my guitar straight to my amp... My tone came back! I've never used one since.

 

[Bezmotivnik]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

As a generic explanation of why digital multi-effects don't get the love, Mincer pretty well covers it early in the thread.

The requirements for effectively programming sophisticated digital gear have vastly exceeded the abilities and determination of the very large majority of the market. The typical buyer will never know how good or bad the device really is because he'll give up on deep-editing in sheer exhaustion long before he reaches any sort of meaningful conclusion.

It's that simple.

 

[Mincer]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

As a generic explanation of why digital multi-effects don't get the love, Mincer pretty well covers it early in the thread.

The requirements for effectively programming sophisticated digital gear have vastly exceeded the abilities and determination of the very large majority of the market. The typical buyer will never know how good or bad the device really is because he'll give up on deep-editing in sheer exhaustion long before he reaches any sort of meaningful conclusion.

It's that simple.

I think you stated it better than i did. It takes a lot of determination and time. Lots of guys in the 80s used huge racks that either they programmed or paid someone to program, and some of these tones are still good today. They had very early converters in them too. I just don't think people want to put in the time or read the manual these days.

 

[tc]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

a. it's not plug in and play...some ppl don't like that
b. some ppl are just "purists" and prefer analog effects
c. and they prefer lugging around 600+ single effects just for that
d. you have to know your presets if you're gonna improvise using effects
e. some just don't like the format
f. and obviously digital and analog are two totally different beasts
g. i could go on and on about this but personally, if you like it..there's no stopping you. i personally prefer analog single effects but thats just because my amp sounds nice to my ears and actually all i use is distortion, some wah and phaser...no use spending that much cash if all im gonna use is that..

 

[wahwah]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

I like this gizmo here: lets you change channels and effects loops all at once. go from clean channel with reverb/flanger to distortion with distortion pedal in one stomp:

best one Ive found yet.


The Loop Gizmo is the first true bypass pedal looper to incorporate function switching. This allows users to simultaneously switch their amplifier channels and pedal effects with a tap of a single button - without the need for MIDI or a complex switching system.

Yeah Happy Dude, that's a great option, especially if you already have analog pedals that you love. You can also check out this guy http://www.loop-master.com/index.php?cPath=21 who can custom build pretty much any loop design you can think of. He built a triple true bypass loop for me which I use to true bypass an old DM-2, DC-2 and 70's MXR Phase 100, which tend to suck tone if they're in the chain. You can also use them to set up different "patches" of your favorite pedals which can then be selected with one footswitch. Meanwhile, any pedals you're not using for that sound are out of the chain, minimizing the signal path. He can also put in a Tuner Out (mute) switch, master bypass or amp channel switching. You even get to choose your own LED colors! His name is Brian Price, and he's a cool guy to deal with, answers e-mails and looked after me all the way down here in Australia.


Cheers.................wahwah

 

[34029324079]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

^ ^ wow thats some awesome pedals there - way cool - sounds like you got an awesome rig!

 

[Bezmotivnik]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

I just don't think people want to put in the time or read the manual these days.

That's not always possible anyway, as with the increasing complexity of the devices and the obsession with providing documentation in many different languages, the instructions are usually short and rudimentary.

The worst user editing interface and documentation are probably found in the discontinued Yamaha MagicStomp, which had excellent digital effects, amp and speaker models -- but was so extraordinarily complex nobody could ever really get to the bottom of meaningful deep-edit programming. If I remember correctly, there were several thousand discrete, individually-adjustable parameters. The unit had three programming knobs and a dinky LCD readout! Even the computer editing program was dreadful and inscrutable and the multi-lingual directions were basic, to say the least. The factory demo presets were -- as always -- exaggerated and preposterous.

Yamaha dropped the product last year. Lots of people (including myself) bought them when they were blown out, but I have yet to find anyone who has been able to come up with any useful, sophisticated patches as the editing is so mind-numbingly difficult.

 

[Markk]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

I was considering between the GT6 and a Zoom GFX8. I ended up with the Zoom one because it was cheaper at the time and I didn't really want to wait too long.

I sometimes regret it, but sometimes I don't. Given the chance, I think I'd change it for a Boss.

 

[guitarded]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

Some of the rackmount stuff is pretty good that way. I use a Rocktron Xpression in the loop. It has an analog signal path option for the dry signal. If you look at the schematic, if you use the analog path, it kinda creates a parallel loop for the effects. I hardly notice it is there.

Before this I has some digital Boss pedals in the loop and there was no noticeable difference in tonal quality. The Boss CE-20 chorus had a -10/4 db switch which I had set to 4db.

The amp is a Boogie Mark IV which has a series effects loop.

I feel that most multi effect processors color the tone so much They are very unusable. I used to have one about ten years ago and then one day I decided to just plug my guitar straight to my amp... My tone came back! I've never used one since.

 

[daemon barbeque]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

If Digital ,i would go with some Eventide or TC ,but not any of the other gear.

It#s a great gadget and i love it alot.But the amp modelling and such are not my way.The effects are cool ,but not hi-end!So if digital ,i would like to have a higher standart device ,to haave a better AD/DA conversion!

 

[Animal]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

The worst user editing interface and documentation are probably found in the discontinued Yamaha MagicStomp, which had excellent digital effects, amp and speaker models -- but was so extraordinarily complex nobody could ever really get to the bottom of meaningful deep-edit programming. If I remember correctly, there were several thousand discrete, individually-adjustable parameters. The unit had three programming knobs and a dinky LCD readout! Even the computer editing program was dreadful and inscrutable and the multi-lingual directions were basic, to say the least. The factory demo presets were -- as always -- exaggerated and preposterous.

Yamaha dropped the product last year. Lots of people (including myself) bought them when they were blown out, but I have yet to find anyone who has been able to come up with any useful, sophisticated patches as the editing is so mind-numbingly difficult.

Yamaha should have built on the DG-series and kept it alive rather than downgrading to that little thing. I have a DG-stomp and it's VERY easy to use . All the essential tone shaping tools have their own knob on the interface. I've also heard very solid stuff coming out of the rackmount DG-1000 pre-amp and DG-80 combo amps. Not GREAT tones, but none the less versatile, simple and very affordable. Despite being 100% digital, they're quite hands on in tweak-ability. I guess similar to the boss GT series but stripped down to all the essentials.

You also have the option of digging a little deeper if you take a little time to read the manual. Four foot switches, tough metal chassis, retro looks, solid tones, useable effects, compact size, all the basic amp/effects models you'll need....why the hell did Yamaha stop making them? Aside from the quantity of support and amp models available, they made the Line6 PODs look laughable. By adding USB connectivity and downloadable amp models Yamaha could of possibly stayed relevant in the digi-amp market.

 

[Animal]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

"Digital conversion does something very ugly to the foundation of the tone and feel, IMO."


...yuck. I dont want to be even vaguely associated with that. Some of the bands I was trying to join would let me in on talent but threw the gauntlet down on my equipment (so Im told). I like this gizmo here: lets you change channels and effects loops all at once. go from clean channel with reverb/flanger to distortion with distortion pedal in one stomp:

best one Ive found yet.


The Loop Gizmo is the first true bypass pedal looper to incorporate function switching. This allows users to simultaneously switch their amplifier channels and pedal effects with a tap of a single button - without the need for MIDI or a complex switching system.

That looks like a damn cool device. I just googled it and it's nice to know it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

 

[_Guitarzan_]

Re: why dont people like the boss GT-8?

The amp is a Boogie Mark IV which has a series effects loop.

Good call on the Boogie! Haven't i seen you on the Boogie Board?