Boss MS-3

114
Guitarist october 2017
O
ccasionally a product comes
along that is a real ‘no brainer’
pairing of two useful tools in one
box – the new Boss MS-3 is one such item.
An ingenious hybrid melding two
related-but-quite-different things, this is
a pedal switcher for connecting your own
pedals, but it is also a multi-FX unit with
its own set of 112 effects, taking advantage
of the COSM digital modelling in Boss’s
dedicated FX processors. There are three
effect loops for connecting your own
pedals that can be combined with the
onboard effects – many different set-ups
being possible via 200 onboard patches.
Besides the effects, the MS-3 can control
external devices through a CTL Out jack
for amp channel switching, plus it can
send MIDI for clock out, program change
and control change messages. Expression
pedals and/or footswitches can be plugged
in to control functions. You also get a tuner,
noise suppressor and global EQ onboard.
A single patch in the MS-3 incorporates
six internal effects blocks – FX1, FX2,
Mod1, Mod2, Delay, and Reverb – plus
the three loop effects (L1, L2 and L3).
Although individually switchable, L1, L2
and L3 are in a defined order as a single
block in the signal chain, so you can’t put
any internal effects between them, but you
can place them before or after. With nine
effects in the chain and four footswitches,
it’s obvious you can’t have instant on/off
switching for each effect. But for each
patch you can choose effects to assign to
the footswitches and define whether the
rest of the effects are active or bypassed.
in use
The MS-3 has two modes of operation,
Memory and Manual, which can be
swiftly switched between with the
single footswitch on its upper (flat)
surface. This determines what the four
footswitches on the angled surface do.
In Memory mode they call up the four
patches that reside in each of the 50
banks – scrolling through the banks is
achieved by simultaneously pressing a
pair of footswitches. In Manual mode
the four footswitches operate whatever
effect (internal or loop) is assigned to
them. Those, however, are the most basic
assignments of the footswitches – you can
delve deep into the editing and set them
to control multiple parameters, doing
things like switching two effects at once
Ms-3
Boss
What do get when you cross a pedal switcher with a multi-FX unit?
This Boss MS-3 – a versatile and brilliant pedalboard workhorse
Words Trevor Curwen Photography Olly Curtis
PEDALBOARD
Manufacturer
Roland UK
MOdel
MS-3
price
£439
01792 702701
WWW.ROLAND.CO.UK
GIT425.peds_boss.indd 114 07/09/2017 11:23