BOSS GT-100

August 2012 Guitar ist 139
BOSS GT-100 £470
EFFECTS
BOSS GT-100
PRICE: £470
ORIGIN: Taiwan
TYPE: Multi-effects floor pedal with
USB audio interface
OTHER FEATURES: Tuner,
metronome, looper
EFFECTS TYPES: Comp, OD/DS,
preamp, EQ, FX1, FX2, delay, chorus,
reverb, pedal FX, NS1/NS2, accel FX
FX1/FX2 EFFECTS: T-wah, auto-wah,
sub-wah, adv comp, limiter, sub OD/
DS, graphic EQ, para EQ, tone modify,
guitar sim, slow gear, defretter, wave
synth, sitar sim, octave, pitch shifter,
harmonist, sound hold, ac processor,
phaser, flanger, tremolo, rotary, uni-v,
pan, slicer, vibrato, ring mod,
humaniser, 2 x 2 chorus, sub delay
PATCHES: 400 (200 user/
200 preset)
SAMPLING FREQUENCY: 44.1kHz
A/D CONVERSION: 24-bit
D/A CONVERSION: 24-bit
CONNECTIONS: Guitar/mic input,
L (mono) and R outputs, stereo
headphone output, external loop
(send, return), amp control jack, SUB
CTL1, 2/SUB EXP – all standard jack
sockets. Stereo mini-jack aux input
USB, MIDI IN, MIDI OUT
DIMENSIONS: 542 (w) x 271 (d) x
80mm (h)
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 4.8/10.62
POWER REQUIREMENTS: DC9V AC
adaptor (PSA series: supplied)
INCLUDED ACCESSORIES: AC
adaptor, USB cap, owner’s manual
OPTIONS: Footswitch (BOSS FS-5U,
£29), dual footswitch (BOSS FS-6.
£49), expression pedal (BOSS
FV-500L, £69; BOSS FV-500H, £79;
Roland EV-5, £59)
Roland UK
01792 702701
www.roland.co.uk
instantly assigned to individual
on/off switching of the effects
in whatever patch is selected.
In this way, each patch can give
you a different array of ‘pedals’
for your pedalboard – up to
eight stompboxes and a pedal
effect. You could easily choose
a different set of effects onstage
between songs, or even during a
song, with some deft footwork
on the bank buttons.
Setting up and storing your
own patches/pedalboard
configurations before playing is
obviously the way to go and
BOSS has really made that a
simple process here. The
remarkable thing is that there
are no conventional menus to
wade through – everything is
on the surface and on display.
Each of the two displays has
four soft knobs beneath it to
edit whichever parameter is
graphically on show. Several
pages of parameters can be
easily brought into the display
windows by using a pair of page
buttons below the knobs.
Instead of getting straight in
and tweaking individual
parameters, you can also paint
your sound using broader
strokes. The EZ Tone function
lets you choose a basic musical
style and tailor it by moving a
cursor in a graphical grid. The
associated amp customise and
OD/DS customise functions do
the same for amp type and
overdrive/distortion type.
Each of the blocks in the
signal chain can have a variety
of different modelled sounds
loaded into it. There are 26 amp
simulations including Fender,
Marshall and other well-
known brands/models, while
the overdrive/distortion block
has 22 options including
emulations of a Rat, Big Muff,
Fuzz Face and Tube Screamer.
The two FX blocks have access
to 32 different effects including
plenty of modulation, pitch
shifting and filter options.
Sounds
The upshot of all these options,
combined with the mass of
available editing opportunities,
is that the GT-100 is capable of
a very wide range of tones as
evidenced by the factory
presets, which run from meat
and potatoes amp simulation
right through to esoteric effects
that show the full sonic
capabilities of the unit. There
are some very inspiring sounds
among the presets that will
make you want to play as well as
providing massive potential for
creating your own tones.
In terms of playability, the
COSM amp simulations do
seem nicely responsive to
touch, doubtless benefiting
from the increase in DSP
power, and, underfoot, you get
a range of options to enhance
performance. The heavy-duty
expression pedal allows control
over volume and can also offer
wah or Whammy-style pitch
bending. In addition, although
the ACCEL pedal is capable of
a range of off-the-wall spot
effects including feedback and
ring modulation, it can also be
assigned as a control pedal to a
patch parameter and is
extremely useful designated as
a simple boost or as a switcher
between channels A and B if
you are using a patch with two
channels. It can also be
assigned as a tap-tempo switch
and, if you need even more
control there’s the option of
adding an external expression
pedal and footswitches.
The Phrase Loop pedal
offers simple record/play/
overdub control of the looper,
which, while rudimentary,
offers a useful facility,
particularly for practice.
Verdict
The GT-100 advances the
abilities and practicalities of
the GT series while also being
a lot easier to set up and use
than its forebears. It’s a great
resource of tones for recording,
utilising a full range of amp
and effect sounds and it’s also
a very practical onstage unit.
You might not want to use the
amp sims in a live situation but
there’s a myriad of effects on
tap, particularly in manual
mode, which instantly
transforms the unit from a
patch-based multi-effects
unit to effectively being a
pedalboard full of individual
stompboxes. With eight
stomps (or seven and a tuner)
and a wah/volume pedal,
the BOSS GT-100 could be all
you need between your guitar
and amp.
The Bottom Line
We like: Easy editing;
manual mode emulating
conventional pedalboards;
wide range of effects
We dislike: Software
librarian is a bit tired – a
graphical editor would be
much better
Guitarist says: The GT-100
continues the lineage of this
series with sonic and
ergonomic advances that
make it a powerful tool for
both recording and live use
Test results
Build quality
Features
Sound
Value for money
GUITARIST RATING
The GT-100 advances the abilities of
the GT series further while being a lot
easier to use than its forebears
http://vault.guitarist.co.uk
A redesigned UI features two displays with associated knobs for the first time
GIT357.rev_boss.indd 139 6/12/12 2:55 PM