Boss GX100 users?

noisepolluter

Looking to get a GX100 to run 4cm with Marshall JVM - also planning to get the Bluetooth wotsit so I can stream audio for headphone practice using the GX100 on its own.

I’ve been looking at the alternatives in that price range, but it seems none of the others have both the Bluetooth audio/editing option and a built in expression pedal. 

Any GX100 users here? 

StefB

Not GX100 but I recently bought a GT-1000 and quickly had it running in 4CM with my JVM410 combo, using the GT's PC MIDI out to switch channels & master volumes etc on the Marshall along with patch changes on the Boss.

The OS on the Boss units will be broadly similar I expect, all works perfectly & seamlessly from the GT-1000 so I hope this is some help/assurance/ensorsement.

noisepolluter

StefB said:

Not GX100 but I recently bought a GT-1000 and quickly had it running in 4CM with my JVM410 combo, using the GT's PC MIDI out to switch channels & master volumes etc on the Marshall along with patch changes on the Boss.

The OS on the Boss units will be broadly similar I expect, all works perfectly & seamlessly from the GT-1000 so I hope this is some help/assurance/ensorsement.

Thanks, that’s helpful.

I note some reviews of the GX100 mention a 48k sample rate vs 96k for the GT1000 models - I doubt I’d be able to tell the difference unless it was a direct A/B of the same sounds and possibly not even then. 

guitarcookie1

@noisepolluter I have a GX-100 with Bluetooth module for sale if interested..

I have used it to stream backing tracks with headphones and it worked fine, not used it for 4CM though.

UnclePsychosis

Bumping an old thread in the hope of getting some real world gx-100 experiences. 

Is anyone using theirs into a FRFR speaker / powered monitor?

I noticed that Boss don't include this use case in the literature for it and the lack of balanced outs (which seems weird to me) also implies that this isn't what Boss think the gx-100 is for. 

Intrigued to know what the opinion of people who have one is because using it like this would probably be my go to. 

rich75

@UnclePsychosis ; I bought a used one on ebay last week and will be using it at a rehearsal (through a Yamaha DXR10) for the first time this Sunday. I'll report back on how it goes.

Based on trying it at home (quietly through the DXR) it's very promising so far. It's very easy to set patches up and is covering everything in need.

Let's see how it goes when I crank it up on Sunday!

UnclePsychosis

rich75 said:

@UnclePsychosis ; I bought a used one on ebay last week and will be using it at a rehearsal (through a Yamaha DXR10) for the first time this Sunday. I'll report back on how it goes.

Based on trying it at home (quietly through the DXR) it's very promising so far. It's very easy to set patches up and is covering everything in need.

Let's see how it goes when I crank it up on Sunday!

Grand, enjoy and please do report back  

sorbz62

I bought a GX100 after a whole run of modellers (FM3, Tonex, GT10, GT8 .....) and it is the best yet, particularly live.  I use it either 4cm through a variety of amps, with a FRFR speaker (QSC) or direct to FOH, all with great results.

The amp modelling is just 'right' and feels good too.

rich75

I finally had the chance to try the GX-100 out at volume through the DXR10 at rehearsal on Sunday. So far, I'm pretty impressed.

First, a quick bit of background. I primarily use a Helix Floor and had been using an HX Stomp as a backup. Given that I seem to set up quite complex patches there are occasions when the number of blocks and switches in the Stomp don't quite cover everything I need without making a few compromises. The appeal of the GX-100 was therefore the 15 blocks and the increased number of footswitches compared to the Stomp.

Firstly, it was an absolute breeze to set up some presets to get me through the rehearsal. My patches tend to be variations on a theme with generally the same (or very similar) amp and drive settings but different patches where there are specific effects needed for certain songs. I managed to set up about 12 presets for the rehearsal in no time just using the touchscreen.

In terms of running it through the DXR10, that was very straightforward. You can set the output level to instrument or line level, and line level basically put in on par with the output levels from my Helix. I didn't encounter any unwanted noise. At gigs we go straight to PA (via the Helix XLR out) and use IEMs rather than backline so I haven't tried that yet. I have a DI box available if needed but I suspect it will be fine without so I'm not envisaging the lack of XLR output on the GX-100 being a problem.

The bluetooth module is very good and it only took me a few minutes to set up Bandhelper to automatically call up the right presets.

It's also very easy to set up footswitch assignments to call up individual effects, combinations of effects and/or change parameter values. From that perspective it works really well for live use. My only possible gripe at this stage is that I haven't yet found an intuitive way of calling up patches as you can't necessarily see the name of the patch you are going to select when using the bank switch buttons. If you know which patch number you are after then it won't really matter. There may be a better way of doing this that I haven't found yet but I haven't invested any time in it as I'm calling up presets from my iPad via Bandhelper anyway so it isn't an issue for me.

Moving onto the sounds, so far so good. I need to do a bit of minor tweaking to gain and volume levels and also some effects mix levels here and there, and also bring in some low cuts, but the core sounds are certainly there and it doesn't sound at all out of place against the Helix. The core sounds perhaps weren't quite at the same standard as the Helix but it took me weeks to get the sounds right when I first got my Helix (about 7 years ago) so it isn't a fair comparison after one rehearsal. 

To summarise, I would happily use it at a gig. I don't have any plans to get rid of my Helix but the GX-100 could easily stand in for it and cover most (but not quite all) of the ground that the Helix does.

sorbz62

rich75 said:

I finally had the chance to try the GX-100 out at volume through the DXR10 at rehearsal on Sunday. So far, I'm pretty impressed.

First, a quick bit of background. I primarily use a Helix Floor and had been using an HX Stomp as a backup. Given that I seem to set up quite complex patches there are occasions when the number of blocks and switches in the Stomp don't quite cover everything I need without making a few compromises. The appeal of the GX-100 was therefore the 15 blocks and the increased number of footswitches compared to the Stomp.

Firstly, it was an absolute breeze to set up some presets to get me through the rehearsal. My patches tend to be variations on a theme with generally the same (or very similar) amp and drive settings but different patches where there are specific effects needed for certain songs. I managed to set up about 12 presets for the rehearsal in no time just using the touchscreen.

In terms of running it through the DXR10, that was very straightforward. You can set the output level to instrument or line level, and line level basically put in on par with the output levels from my Helix. I didn't encounter any unwanted noise. At gigs we go straight to PA (via the Helix XLR out) and use IEMs rather than backline so I haven't tried that yet. I have a DI box available if needed but I suspect it will be fine without so I'm not envisaging the lack of XLR output on the GX-100 being a problem.

The bluetooth module is very good and it only took me a few minutes to set up Bandhelper to automatically call up the right presets.

It's also very easy to set up footswitch assignments to call up individual effects, combinations of effects and/or change parameter values. From that perspective it works really well for live use. My only possible gripe at this stage is that I haven't yet found an intuitive way of calling up patches as you can't necessarily see the name of the patch you are going to select when using the bank switch buttons. If you know which patch number you are after then it won't really matter. There may be a better way of doing this that I haven't found yet but I haven't invested any time in it as I'm calling up presets from my iPad via Bandhelper anyway so it isn't an issue for me.

Moving onto the sounds, so far so good. I need to do a bit of minor tweaking to gain and volume levels and also some effects mix levels here and there, and also bring in some low cuts, but the core sounds are certainly there and it doesn't sound at all out of place against the Helix. The core sounds perhaps weren't quite at the same standard as the Helix but it took me weeks to get the sounds right when I first got my Helix (about 7 years ago) so it isn't a fair comparison after one rehearsal. 

To summarise, I would happily use it at a gig. I don't have any plans to get rid of my Helix but the GX-100 could easily stand in for it and cover most (but not quite all) of the ground that the Helix does.

How does the GX sound Vs the Helix through the PA in a band situation?  Which do you prefer?

rich75

sorbz62 said:

How does the GX sound Vs the Helix through the PA in a band situation?  Which do you prefer?

The honest answer is that it's a bit too soon to be able answer conclusively. I'm not sure I've had the GX-100 for long enough to make it a fair comparison and I've used it once through a Yamaha DXR10 in a rehearsal room but haven't fired it up through the full PA yet.

So far the GX-100 sounds good and compares fairly well against the Helix. Sound-wise there isn't much in it - the tones are good and the FX are nice and clear, but somehow the GX-100 doesn't quite "feel" as good as the Helix. I think that might partly be down to me having overcooked the compressor settings when I dialled in the patches at home.

I'm also very familiar with dialling in the Helix having had it for so many years. 

I think I need another go with it at a full band rehearsal before I can answer fully. That being said, as of today I would say both are very good but I would have to say I prefer the Helix for two reasons - (1) the playing feel, (2) the flexibility of the effects paths, switch assignments and snapshots. Obviously I was fully aware of the second point before I got the GX-100,and those are some of the features that you pay extra for in the Helix.

I will update after I next get a chance to use the GX-100 with the band.

noisepolluter

I suppose I should update my thread - I went ahead and got one, very impressed with the sounds, and once I got my head around the send/return blocks and matching levels etc it’s very easy to use.

I mostly use it 4CM with a Marshall DSL40 (replaced a JVM I had at the beginning of the year), though I do also have some patches set up with virtual amps for headphone playing - the ability to use two amps in stereo makes a huge difference to the sound.

I will say I’ve been a bit slack about actually setting up patches, even though I also got the adaptor that allows Bluetooth editing and audio streaming - find myself slightly missing the immediacy of being able to fully tweak sounds on the fly with separate pedals, but that’s my own laziness and lack of familiarity with multi fx, and while I’m avoiding getting into A/B comparisons with separate pedals as that way can only lead to discontent, I’d say the sounds definitely measure up and I can pretty much replicate anything I’ve used previously. 

On the plus side, less immediate tweakability means I’m (shock, horror) ACTUALLY PLAYING MORE. Also realising that I don’t actually use that many effects beyond reverb, delay and boost most of the time. Borderline sacrilegiously I think I actually prefer the treble/clean boost models on the GX100 to the pedals I have! The intelligent noise gate is also a winner.

Would be interested to hear from folks regarding how they set up/organise patches for 4CM use with the amp supplying all the drive.

Heartfeltdawn

sorbz62 said:

I bought a GX100 after a whole run of modellers (FM3, Tonex, GT10, GT8 .....) and it is the best yet, particularly live.  I use it either 4cm through a variety of amps, with a FRFR speaker (QSC) or direct to FOH, all with great results.

The amp modelling is just 'right' and feels good too.

@sorbz62 So the GX-100 beats the FM3? Interesting... what did you ike and dislike about the FM3 and where does the GX-100 beat the FM3?

sorbz62

I loved my Fractal products but spent all my time messing around with a million parameters. A small tweak here and there changed something!! Many amps sounded the same once tweaked. 

The GX100 is simpler and easier to get a good sound out of. The touchscreen is ingenious and I spend much less time messing and more playing.

Voxman

All mfx have their pros & cons of course.  Whilst I agree with a lot of the positive comments, I had the GX100 on approval for a few weeks & there are some 'quid pro quo's'.

First Boss was really clever, as it's COSM modelling could never compete with Line 6 and it knew it would always be behind the curve if it tried to go down the route of modelling specific amps.  Things got better eg in the GT100, but it was never 'there'. Boss realised it had to go a different route and that the 'secret sauce' was *cab modelling so it hard wired some really good cab IR's into its core amp models.  But it also went down the simpler route of tone types rather than modelling specific amps (there are some of these too though). This is why out the box the Boss GX100 (that evolved from the flagship GT1000) can sound/feel really good pretty much instantly & I do like its simpler approach. (*I suspect this was possibly a driver for the new cab engine in Helix, and about to be added for Pod Go).

Downsides are that the Boss GX100 underlying UI is clunky, quirky, heavily menu driven & is less than intuitive. The touch screen does make life a lot easier & is a great USP.  However, the hexagon icons are visually from the 80's, and it can sometimes be a bit laggy. The blue tooth connectivity is badly laggy so if you want to use this for live control, forget it. The GX100 also has no XLR out capability and its odd UI/firmware means it can only import 16 Third Party IR's that has to be done through separate software to the edit software.

The manuals, of which there are 3 as I recall, are not as clear, well illustrated or as well laid out as the Line 6 manuals. The GX100 has no snap shot capabilities but it does offer alternative helpful options. Setting assignments for expression pedals & footswitches is 'awkward', again due to the quirky UI. I appreciate users will get used to the UI, and it will probably be much easier for existing Boss MFX customers, but it does probably mean more time needed with the manuals if you come from eg a Line 6 background.

Now, whilst Line 6 no longer officially supports Windows 7, 8 or older Mac operating systems, Line 6 gear inc Pod Go still works fine with these older operating systems that many people (inc me!) still have. This means you need Win 10/11 for firmware upgrades, to import IR's, and use the edit program.

A word on firmware upgrades. Since launch the only GX100 firmware releases have related to bug fixes only and as far as I'm aware I don't think there has yet been a bona-fide firmware upgrade.

So, does the GX100 sound & feel good - yes. Does it sound better than my Pod Go with stock cabs, yes. Does it sound better than Pod Go with a good IR? I'd say it's probably about the same - but the Boss approach of hardwiring/matching IR's to its standard amp tones will give more instant gratification to users than the Line 6 approach and makes it easier to get a good tone straight out the box.  

Boss build quality is pretty rock solid, all metal casing, and the GX100 PSU is reasonable & I like its control switch flexibility too. Unlike my Pod Go it doesn't have a global volume pedal and the ability to kick in a wah on any patch globally. With GX100, I had to build this into a patch (although once you figure out the assignments you can create a template). The lack of snap shots actually doesn't worry me - for my needs they are not essential.

Whilst I really did like the GX100 the big problem I have is Boss customer service & support. It's infrastructure here is no where near as solid and accessible as compared to Line 6 and I've first hand been involved on an issue & if you do a search here on The Fretboard you'll find chapter & verse on this, but the long thread revolved around a brand new GX100 accidentally disconnected during a firmware upgrade that bricked and had to go back to Boss. Despite escalation to several different Boss teams at a more senior level, Boss refused to provide customer support and confirmed it wasn't covered under warranty. It was only after a furore on the internet (and I personally contacted Boss on this) did Boss change its position saying 'of course it's covered under warranty' & there had simply been an unfortunate 'miscommunication' (hmm, from 3 different departments!?). So, you'd expect Boss to then look good, act fast, arrange to collect & repair or provide a new unit & resolve the problem. But no - even then, it took them over three months to repair & return the unit.

So for me its not about the GX100 itself, that I think is really good, but the shortfalls in Boss customer support/service and its lack of commitment to future firmware upgrades that firmly puts me off.  I'd need to see a MAJOR upwards shift from Boss in this area before I'd risk buying a Boss MFX. I've directly experienced great support from Line 6, & they support and engage with user forums, patch sharing & ideas sites and even contribute on other main forums & facebook pages. They have a very good contact system, with customer support tickets etc whereas conversely trying to contact Boss can be a nightmare. It's just a different mind set as between Boss & line 6 but for me there's no point in having great tone & features but that if your unit fails you're then left poorly supported.

Longer than I'd intended but these are my views and rationale based on my own experience & needs. YMMV of course.

noisepolluter

Could any fellow users please let me know if there’s a shortcut directly from the ‘manual’ screen where the footswitch icons etc are, to the ‘knob view’ screen where you can deep edit an individual effect? 

Seems a bit daft that there’s no way of long-pressing the effect icon or at least holding down one of the control knobs or whatever, you have to first go to the effects screen *then* select the hamburger icon thing, *then* select ‘knob view’.

In fact that’s probably my main gripe with the unit. 

Probably should make more use of the Bluetooth editing I suppose… it’d be better for my posture too.

dhaywood67

@rich75 would you mind giving a quick update on the GX100, if you're still using it? I'm considering getting one but would like to hear how you're getting on with it now a month or so has passed since your last initial review.

Cheers

UnclePsychosis

Picked one up in the classifieds, so whilst I'm waiting for it to arrive I'd like to watch some how-tos.

Anyone recommend any good YouTube videos on getting started etc? 

UnclePsychosis

Also, does anyone know if you can connect the Tone Studio app (for PC) to the Gx100 over bluetooth? The fewer cables the better... 

Slartibartfarst42

I've had my GX100 for a couple of years and I have very few complaints. The UI could certainly be better and I wish there was an easy way of moving presents around and copying effects for easy transfer to another preset. The whole third party IR thing is a complete fiasco as they just don't work properly and Boss seems to have no interest in fixing it.

These are minor issues and there are a lot of positives. The third party IR problem is largely academic because the stock IRs are so incredibly good. I always leave the matching IR in place and no longer even bother experimenting with even the internal alternatives because it's never an improvement. They're at least as good as any other IR I've tried on any other unit.

There aren't loads of different amp options, but you don't even need all of the ones that are there. For clean tones, I use a couple of the modelled amps, but for anything with any kind of gain, I just use the X-amps. I find that mixing two of them works a treat, so my Marshall type of tone is an X-Mod and X-Crunch together. It doesn't take long to dial in your tones and they're absolutely stunning. How it compares to a Helix depends on the tones you're after. On cleans, they're pretty similar in quality. For very high gain, I think the Helix possibly just has the edge. For Marshall tones, which is where I spend most of my time, the GX100 is easily better.

noisepolluter

I’m loving the X-amps. I’ve dabbled with running two similar ones hard-panned in stereo through headphones which sounds colossal but is a bit distracting for practice because it doesn’t quite have the same tightness/accuracy, you can hear the compression and sag and whatnot happening at different rates/amounts. Fantastic ‘live’ sound though.

Still wish there was a quick short cut to the amp/fx ‘knob screen’ E.g. pressing the icon for 2 seconds on the main ‘manual’ screen, rather than navigating through about 3 screens in between. It’s about the only thing that makes me miss my pedalboard.