Boss GT-100
Boss GT-100 £470
The daddy of floor-based multi-eects units is back
At A GlAnce
type: Multi-effects and modelling pedal
effects: 25 amp models, 51 effects
pAtches: 200 preset, 200 user
controls: Bank up/down, 4x patch pedals,
loop, accel/control, expression pedal, 8x FX
parameter controls, output, 6x control buttons
sockets: Input, stereo output, headphones,
FX loop, amp control (channel switching), sub
control (external expression/control), USB, MIDI
power: PSU (included)
contAct: Roland (UK) Ltd 01792 702701
www.roland.co.uk
By
tracing the lineage
of floor-based Boss
multi-effects, you’ll find that the
company has always been one
of the first names to trip off the
tongues of guitarists wanting as
many effects as possible, in an
all-in-one box at their feet. Despite
strong showings from the likes of
Line 6 and Zoom, the GT series
has, historically, always been a
solid choice. These days, however,
the competition is fiercer than
ever. It’s not enough to have great
effects – you also need to excel
when it comes to amp modelling,
and provide ample connectivity
to satisfy those who want to gig,
practise, record using a computer,
and get all tangled up in MIDI.
Setting aside the COSM amp
modelling for now and looking
at the GT-100 solely as an effects
processor, it’s hard to see how
anyone could be disappointed.
There’s a huge range of effects,
and every one is of the quality
you’d expect from Boss. Sure,
some people will always wave
some hand-drawn, daffodil-motif
boutique flanger in your face,
claiming it sounds far better,
but the simple truth is there is
something incredibly comforting
and reliable about Boss effects.
With the GT-100, control and
simplicity are key. By using two
screens and simplifying the top
of the unit considerably from
previous incarnations, Boss has
really distilled the experience
for the better. From using the EZ
Tone to hack out a rough sound,
through to deep-level tweaking,
the GT-100 offers a huge level
of control, but somehow always
keeps it simple in operation.
In fact, you actually spend far
less time than you might expect
The GT-100’s dual LCD screens
make menu navigation and
patch editing clear and simple,
keeping endless parameter
scrolling to a minimum
DISPLAY
Boss provides all the
connectivity you could possibly
need, including excellent MIDI
implementation, allowing for
advanced channel and
effects-loop switching with
MIDI-compatible amps
OUTPUTS
scrolling through page after page
of settings to find the one you
want, which leaves you more time
for getting on with what you want
to be doing: playing.
Trawling through the well-
stocked effects larder, you come to
the latest COSM modelling, and
it’s here that the GT-100 appears a
little frailer compared to some of
the competition. It’s not that the
models are bad – far from it – but
they do seem almost a generation
behind some of their competitors.
Used live, there are fewer issues;
from lilting clean sounds through
to brutal high-gain tones, it’s all
there, just perhaps not quite as
organic as you might like. Plugging
the GT-100 into a DAW, either
through an interface or via USB,
sheds a far harsher light on the
tones, both through headphones
and studio monitors. They do feel
a touch plastic and fake, which
is a real shame given the overall
package. With plenty of tweaking
you could get acceptable tones, but
in this day and age, acceptable isn’t
always good enough.
If finding organic and realistic
amp modelling for recording is
your main goal, you may be better
served by other units out there, but
as a complete package, the GT-100
is incredibly hard to beat. Yes,
we found the COSM modelling
slightly disappointing, but that’s
about the only downside we could
see to this floor-based unit.
Hayden Hewitt
“ Boss has really distilled the
experience for the better”
Photography: Simon Lees
Features
sound quality
Value For money
Build quality
useaBility
oVerall rating
sUMMARy
FRoM the traditional ring
modulator and feedbacker
to the more unusual
S-Bend and Laser Beam,
this switch adds instant
insanity to your tone
ACCEL PEDAL
GEAR BOSS GT100
september 2012 125
TGR231.gear_dps.indd 125 7/19/12 11:09 AM