Boss gx-700

Steel guitar amplifiers, effects, etc.

Moderator: Shoshanah Marohn

Post Reply
Bob Jackson
Posts: 52
Joined: 17 Oct 1999 12:01 am
Location: Regina Saskatchewan Canada

Boss gx-700

Post by Bob Jackson »

Has anyone tryed one of these units with a steel? If so do you have any suggestions for setup. I have one that I am trying but the factory settings are pretty much no good. Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks
Bob Jackson
MSA CLASSIC S10 NASHVILLE 400
User avatar
Earnest Bovine
Posts: 8318
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: Los Angeles CA USA

Post by Earnest Bovine »

I use GX-700 a lot, for live gigs and for recording direct. For me it works like a buffer amp. I hang it on the right side of the steel guitar and run a very short cord from the guitar into the GX-700. My volume pedal goes in the efx loop of the GX.
You can change the order (sequnce) of efx and loop but I usually use the default, which means that the compressor, auto-wah, overdrive, and amp emulations come before the volume pedal.
It's very convenient to have all those efx available at the touch of a button just by moving my right hand just a few inches from its picking position. But often I think it sounds good when I don't use any efx at all, not even an amp emulator, for recording direct.

On the down side, GX-700 is not noise-free. There is some background noise (hiss etc), and it's just barely good enough for recording. Also some of the efx have the horrible sound of digital aliasing, for example the equalizer when you try substantial boost or cut.
Another problem is that it's fragile. My 1st one is broken down, and several switches are broken on the 2nd one.

GX-700 is old technology and I would like something newer, more robust, and better-sounding. But I haven't found anything with those features so I still use GX-700.
User avatar
Jim Smith
Posts: 7946
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: Midlothian, TX, USA

Post by Jim Smith »

I don't use any of the factory settings either. Like Earnest, I run my volume pedal in the effects loop, but carry it a step further by having the GX-700 itself in the effects loop of my Stereo Steel amp. Image

Building patches a piece at a time works best for me. I first set mine up by creating a patch with only reverb that I like, copy that to another patch and add delay, copy that to another and add chorus, etc. Then I went on to add phase shift to a patch, distortion to another, pitch shift to another, auto-wah, etc., etc.

Once in a while I find an effect setting in a factory patch that I like. I copy that setting to a user patch and tweak a little if necessary.

------------------
Jim Smith jimsmith94@comcast.net
-=Dekley D-12 10&12=-
-=Fessenden D-12 9&9=-
-=Emmons D-12 push pull 9&4 (soon to be 9&9)=-
Stereo Steel rig w/Boss GX-700
IVL SteelRider w/JV-880

Bob Jackson
Posts: 52
Joined: 17 Oct 1999 12:01 am
Location: Regina Saskatchewan Canada

Post by Bob Jackson »

Hi Jim & Earnest

Thanks for the reply. I had been just using the Delay and EQ before but have now added the Reverb and it sounds a lot better I am also using the Twin Preamp. I am running the reverb at 2 - 3 seconds for time and a level of 30 is this simular to your settings. Also what order do you have your efx in. My chain is Preamp-EQ-Delay-Reverb this sounds pretty good but I am just getting started so any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
Bob Jackson
Post Reply