GT100 MultiFX instead of pedalboard

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erky32erky32 Frets: 49
I'm thinking of replacing my discrete pedals with a Boss GT100 which seems to do a good job of everything I need. Mainly for gigs so easy to use in a manual pedal mode & simple & robust for less than £400. I'm already well aquainted with ME50 & ME70 so this looks a good progression.
Any advice?thoughts?improvements?
Are the drive sounds are similar to the Katana drives?
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Comments

  • PhiltrePhiltre Frets: 4164
    I have a Boss GT-100 and I also have some nice pedals (Archer, OCD, Soul Food, SD-1, Strymon Flint, TC HOF, TC Flashback to name a few). Here's my thoughts:

    - The GT has amp modelling in it. Some people hate it, some don't. If you're going direct to PA, or into your home stereo system I think it's fine. For going into a tube amp I turn it off, which leaves me with the raw effects.
    - The overdrives are fine. I spent a day emulating some of my overdrive pedals on the GT, and doing blind A/B tests I could hardly tell the difference
    - The modulation effects are great. Love the Leslie emulator.

    Now here's the thing - many people have said things like "Nah, the GT is shit, the drives are crap, it's all digital man. Use real pedals, dude." And then the Boss MS-3 came along and guess what? Everyone is saying, "well, actually, the Boss overdrives are great, man!" (See https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/new-boss-ms3-pedal-switcher.1832749/). Well, they're the same ones as in the GT.

    So, yes, it's all good if you (a) turn off the COSM thing if going into an amp and (b) tweak the effects to taste. I love all my pedals, but I also love the convenience of the GT-100. Just don't rely on the presets.

    My 2 cents, and YMMV, etc, etc, etc...
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  • erky32erky32 Frets: 49
    Thanks for the response @Philtre , - yeah, thats how I plan to use it - very much like I use the ME70.
    I've just answered myself , by the way, on the Katana issue - it appears that all the Katana drive firmware is based directly on the GT100 models, basically Clean = JC120, Crunch = Tweed, Lead = 5150, Brown = SLDN (Soldano?)
    Methinks I'll be pressing the button on a GT100 and moving my ME70 on.
    Cheers.
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  • JDEJDE Frets: 1092
    I've said it before (and believe me, I *love* pedals), but getting a GT100 on a whim/experiment was really good for me. It was ultimately "too much" for me, but it's a bloody brilliant unit. I even liked to leave the models on and go into my amps fx loops. I'd never even used a loop before!
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  • PhiltrePhiltre Frets: 4164
    You can use the  4-cable method with the GT-100, too. Or just insert your favourite drive pedal(s) in the Send/Return loop (much like the MS-3). Assignments are great too - you can assign the pedal and switches to pretty much anything.

    As I said before, the same (snobby) guitarists who down-talk the GT-100 on the one hand praise the FX in the Katana and MS-3 on the other hand, even though they use the same algorithms. As I also use stomp boxes I can compare them all, and the GT-100 is a champ. It just depends on how you set it up and how you've tweaked the FX.

    I've seen s/h units go for around £200.
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  • The digitech RP 1000 never gets a mention...is it pants? The GSP 1101 is generally well thought of...
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  • BeexterBeexter Frets: 597
    The digitech RP 1000 never gets a mention...is it pants? The GSP 1101 is generally well thought of...
    I used to have the RP500 which was ok but I don't think they're anywhere near as flexible as the GT100, or even a Zoom G3 for that matter. 
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  • ClarkyClarky Frets: 3261
    fx and modelling wise the GT100 and VG99 are quite similar..
    I don't know the GT100 that well but I do have a VG99..
    I toured for a few years with the VG99 and was pretty happy with it until I discovered the Axe-FX [which is a whole different deal]

    if the modelling side is a big deal for you Roland / Boss is not the best in that area...
    the Helix and Fractal units are far better at it..

    DC [from the DC Band] uses a GT100 for his Zeta violin
    from what I know of it, it's very capable, easy to config and can make very nice tones..
    play every note as if it were your first
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  • ibisibis Frets: 8
    Gigged the RP1000 into a Bassman RI for 6+ years. Great unit.
    Have recently gone Helix into FOH and IEM in a bid to save sanity and hearing. 
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  • thomasw88thomasw88 Frets: 2316
    I had the GT100, it was decidely ok, not shit but nowhere as near good as pedals or the Fractal FX8 that I owned for a while.


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  • siraxemansiraxeman Frets: 1935

    As others have said, the modelling is good IMO, but others hate it (yet listening to the highly rated Pod HD models compared A/B with a GT-100 shows little between them!). But, the few times I gigged mine (sold recently to fund towards my Helix) I used one of my fave OD's in the loop and ran it for FX only - worked perfectly well, couldn't fault it. Even the old GT-8 was good enough for Nuno for its FX!!! The GT-100 is no lesser a unit than the GT-8.

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  • erky32erky32 Frets: 49
    Thanks all for input & advice, I decided to bite the bullet and order one .....it seems there is good competition in multiFX but I've enjoyed good experience & usage of both ME50&70, and latterly my Katanas - I'm sure the GT100 will do the job for me in a familiar way! ....it arrives on Tuesday.
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  • Bit of a mini-sidetrack/thread hijack here - but from what people are saying here some of the much lauded Katana circuitry is based on the GT100. I'm potentially looking at buying a GT-1, which from what I understand has models based on the GT100 (albeit with nowhere near as many features).

    Can I expect a GT-1 to generate the same kind of drive tones as a Katana, or am I misunderstanding? 
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  • PhiltrePhiltre Frets: 4164
    When you get it, the first thing you want to do is:

    1. Press the "System" button
    2. Choose "Output Select" in the menu. Then select "Line/Phones" for going into a mixer/PA, or one of the other amp/cab options if going into an amp/cab or combo
    3. Choose "Total" in the menu. Then set "Main Output Level" to +4db if you're going into a mixer/PA or set it to -10db if going into an amp.
    4. Whatever you select in (3) set the rotary volume control fairly low to start with until you sort your levels out

    Then tweak away.

    All the presets have amp modelling on. This means that "Preamp A" and/or "Preamp B" are on in the Effects setup. If you turn the Preamps off then it makes no difference what you have set as "Output Select" in (2) above.
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  • I was thinking about doing something similar - is the GT100 less tone-sucky than the Pod HD500 in 4CM?
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  • siraxemansiraxeman Frets: 1935

    ^^ not had a HD500 but that's what I've read!! The GT-8 will do though for less money - Nuno had no issues using his for the Rihanna tour....

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  • rolls1392rolls1392 Frets: 229
    Just bought a GT8
    Happy with it and found it straightforward to use.

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  • I tried a GT-1 into a JC40 yesterday, sounded really really good for the money and the size of the thing. The distortion was a bit wasps-in-a-box when I tried headphones straight into the Boss, but that's a common thing with headphone emulations I've found.
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  • The GT100 seems good enough for Johnny Marr so should be good enough for most applications I would have thought ;)
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  • What I would really like is something like a Zoom G3 or Nova system that does 4CM. I don't need loads of effects but would just like everything in one neat unit. There doesn't seem to be much available that does that without being a fully featured processor like the GT100, or HD500 or Helix.
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  • What I would really like is something like a Zoom G3 or Nova system that does 4CM. I don't need loads of effects but would just like everything in one neat unit. There doesn't seem to be much available that does that without being a fully featured processor like the GT100, or HD500 or Helix.
    Nova System does sound good but the switching feels wrong - most of my pedals turn on/off when you push the switch down, with the Nova it felt like the effects weren't turned on/off until you took your foot off the switch again; felt very weird indeed.

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