Boss

P
ro pedalboards are
increasingly based
around almighty
switching systems,
designed to swap
stompboxes in and out with ease.
Yet for those of us looking to
minimise on real estate (and
outlay), Boss has come up with an
ingenious solution that gives you
programmable loops for three of
your own pedals and a host of its
own eff ects – 112 to be precise.
The MS-3 can switch your amp
channels, adjust external eff ects
and integrate with MIDI-equipped
pedals. Then there’s the built-in
tuner, noise suppressor and global
EQ. It’s as if Boss looked at
everything players could want
from a pedalboard controller and
crammed it into one compact unit.
Integrating the MS-3 in your rig
takes a bit of setting up: hook up
your external pedals of choice
around the rear via the trio of
send/returns, then use the buttons
and three knobs to choose which
of the MS-3’s footswitches switch
the pedals in and out (manual
mode), or which are active in the
current patch (memory mode).
The same goes for internal eff ects.
Amp channels and MIDI setup
require some deep-menu diving,
but once the MS-3 is ready to go
it’s a dream to use. There are 200
patch memories for saving your
expertly tweaked sounds, each
with four eff ects or pedals that can
be switched in or out at will, or four
presets that can be instantly
recalled. Want a fuzz for your solo,
with adjustable tap tempo for the
delay and momentary fl anger
control? Fine. Need to swap three
of your fave stacked drive pedals
out for a compressed clean with
reverb and chorus, all with a single
tap? No problem.
For anyone who hasn’t used a
loop switcher before, the potential
is limitless, and it’s backed up by
typically high-quality Boss tones.
The MS-3 is rammed with pristine
modulations, all the essential
delay and reverb types, as well as a
load of Boss specials, such as the
dynamic Tera Echo and sequenced
tremolo Slicer. Then there’s the
niche yet useful eff ects, such as an
acoustic guitar sim, Slow Gear auto
fade-in and that sitar sim you
never knew you wanted. The drive
tones don’t live up to standalone
pedals, but for most players, we’d
wager those three switchable loop
slots will be used for analogue
drives, with the ES-3 handling
modulation, delay and reverb.
Complaints? The small screen
that makes setup a little fi ddly,
the tight jack spacing around the
rear – are negated by its size,
which ensures it’s small enough
to fi t on any pedalboard. With a
huge range of killer tones and
cunning switching functionality,
it’s a genuinely exciting
pedalboard development.
Michael Astley-Brown
BOSS MS-3 MULTI
EFFECTS SWITCHER
Transform your ’board with this ingenious hybrid system
£439
TYPE: Multi-effects pedal and switching
unit
CONTROLS: 3x knobs; on/off, menu, edit,
exit, enter buttons
SOCKETS: Input, 3x send/returns, 2x
outputs, control out, 2x expression/
control ins, USB, MIDI out, power
BYPASS: Buffered
POWER: 9V power supply only (supplied)
CONTACT: Roland UK 01792 702701
www.boss.info
AT A GLANCE
KILLER TONES AND CUNNING
SWITCHING FUNCTIONALITY
1
LOOPS!
There are three of ’em, for
integrating your fave stompboxes.
Using one for your amp’s effects
loop allows you to run effects before
or after your amp’s front-end too
2
SCREEN
It may be small, but this diddy
screen is mighty bright and shows
your signal chain in little pixel blocks
for re-ordering, as well as your
current patch
3
FOOTSWITCHES
These four switches can be
assigned to pretty much anything
you can imagine in manual mode, or
function as patch recall switches in
memory mode
1
2
3
Photography: Joe Branston
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SuMMarY
REVIEW
93
SEPTEMBER 2017 ToTal GuiTar
TGR297.gear_dps1.indd 93 16/08/2017 17:47