Replacing stomp boxes with multieffect - or not?

Per Berner · From: Skovde, Sweden

I've been thinking about replacing my BOSS stompboxes (compressor, reverb, tremolo and EQ) with a BOSS GT-8. I guess I could sell the boxes and get the multi-effect unit for about the same money.

I tried a GT-3 (a much cheaper model) a couple of years ago but was put off by the user-hostile interface, which seems to have been rectified in the GT-8.The added possibilities of the GT-8 look good on paper, but will the sound quality of the GT-8 match or surpass the individual effect boxes?

In other words, is this a good idea or a bad one?

(I use the GE-7 and RV-5 for steel, the TR-2 and CS-3 are strictly for my Telecasters)

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´75 Emmons p/p D10 8+4, '96 Emmons Legrande II D10 8+5, ca '72 AWH Custom D10 8+3, Peavey Nashville 1000

Keith Cordell · From: San Diego

Well I am sure I will attract a few flamethrowers but I firmly believe that multi-effects units sound awful in comparison to individual effects units. They respond differently to the signal and it is nearly impossible to get one to sound warm and organic.

Bob Martin · From: Madison Tn

Hi Pat, speaking from experience if you buy a GT-8 you'll never regret it. The effects are superb and the user interface is excellent. Lot's of buttons and knobs to tweak so many in fact that you might never have to go into the deep editing mode using the more sophisticated digital menu.

As far as I can tell it has every stomp box modeled that boss makes so you'll have no problem replacing your stomp boxes. Plus it has many digital effects that you can't get in stomp box form.

Can you tell I'm a fan yet Smile

? Now we get to the amp and cab modeling with mic placement and even mic choice. Before I bought mine I checked/used all of the major competitors and Boss won hands down.

If you have any specific questions just let me know and I'll try to answer them.

Bob

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

Generally, something that is designed for a specific task is better than a "Universal" that does everything.

However, as effects are electronic devices that modify or simulate some type of effect (e.g. delay) it may not be so cut and dried.

I used to use a Boss DD-5 digital delay and the spring reverb in my Peavey amps. However, for the last year and a half I've been using a POD XT - as an effects processor only - and using the Digital Delay and spring reverb in the POD XT and it's as good (and the spring reverb is better) than what I was using before, plus I have the added bounus of other effects.

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

I still use my old Ibanez ue 400 and 405 multi effect (I know, only four) units. They sound great.

Also the Pod unit never fails to get the job done in the studio.

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

I have replaced over 200 batterys and now over 400 memory chips in Peavey effects units. There must be something to the multi-effects units! As Jeff Newman once told me at Dallas, "The Profex-2 is a studio in a box".
Still for me, I like to get my hands on each effect, so I have my trusty old pedal board for my Tele (Arion Tuner, Boss compressor, Ibanez DDL-10 delay, Boss stereo chorus and a Boss RV-5 for reverb).
For the steel, I far prefer the use of a Profex 2/Bassfex, Transtubefex or Tubefex over my pedal board.

Once I find a few settings I like, I just "map" them next to each other so I can change quickly. Very handy for sure!

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

I'm also from the camp that prefers individual pedals. But that being said, I must admit that Boss's technology has come a long way and the latest, all-digital stuff like the GT-8 and GT-PRO are sounding real good. For reverbs and delays and hi-fi chorus effects, the multi-fx units do real well. For things like overdrive, compression, phaser, tremolo, etc. I tend to lean toward analog pedals. But the new interfaces on these units are real friendly and you have knobs everywhere to grab and tweak, and that can ultimately make the difference as far as portability, practicality, affordability, and compactness. Digital just keeps getting better.

Brad

Robby Springfield · From: Viola, AR, USA

I have been a user of the rack mount digital multi-effects units for a long time and just recently went to the stomp boxes myself. When guys like Brent Mason, (who can afford to buy anything out there), goes to using the stomp boxes again, I figure it’s time for me to listen up…so to speak. There is just a difference in the way the stomp boxes respond and how they seem to be less sterile than the all in one box’s when plugged straight into something like a twin or deluxe. I have heard the term “more musical” and I agree with that. There are some great multi units now and there are a few features I miss, but all in all, I’ve become a fan of the stompers. Check out some of the mods available from this guy at www.robertkeeley.com. Once again, beauty is in the ears of the beholder and tone is a journey, so have FUN.

Marlin Smoot · From: Kansas

I agree with Robby, if you really want a stomp box with serious tone, check out Robert Keeley.

This is all subjective about tone but if you like stomp boxes, you may already developed an "ear" for them. Try some of the modded or higher end units.

I tried the Podxt-live in a music store and thought it sounded pretty good, I would like to try one on the bandstand.

I've found, for me, I like to keep it simple by using a few modded stomp boxes. The more knobs and programs to scroll through may take your focus off of playing and more into the realm of "tweaking"

Good luck in your quest for tone.

Randy Reeves · From: LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA

I went from stomp boxes to multi effects and back to stomp boxes.

I am happy with individual units. I had mine modified to suit my tastes.

so go stomp boxes and not the 39 dollar ones. youget what you pay for.
analogman, keely are great boutique pedal makers.

Stephen Gambrell · From: Over there

What Brad and Ken said. I tried the Pod XT for guitar, and the overdrives sounded like taped effects. Since the stomp box is an actual preamp, the knobs on your guitar give you more tonal control. But the delays in the Pod were killers, but then, so is my DD-5, my DD-20, and my Memory Man. If all your pedals are on a pedalboard, it's only one more thing to plug in, anyway!

Ben Slaughter · From: Madera, California

I think it depends. Chorus, delay, and verb can be really good from multi-FX boxes. Overdrive can be OK, but I've NEVER, heard a compressor I've liked out of a multi-FX box.

Of course, there are stomp boxes that sound like poo, also. I personally hate the Boss CS-3. But love the DD-3, BD-2, and OD-3. My compressor is a Barber. Along the same lines as the Keeley.

Per Berner · From: Skovde, Sweden

Thanks for the input, guys - it's greatly appreciated.

This morning I happened to find a 6 months old GT-8 at a bargain price, so I went ahead anyway. It should arrive on tuesday, then we'll see who's right and who's wrong

Overdrive and distortion are not on my list of wanted features, and neither is chorusing, flanging and other weird effects - so maybe it'll be just fine for me. If not, I can get my money back in a day or two.

The CS-3 isn't really my absolute favorite compressor – my CS-2 (which sounded better!) broke down, and I got this one instead out of habit. IMO, the more hifi-oriented compressors on the market are sometimes too good for Telecaster country playing - it needs a little "quack" to sound right. I simply cannot play my Teles without compression, it just feels wrong, so maybe I'll have to find a separate compressor anyway.

(BTW, an employee of mine who plays heavier-than-heavy metal swears by the POD - he's very happy with its distortion sounds, and he's really picky)

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´75 Emmons p/p D10 8+4, '96 Emmons Legrande II D10 8+5, ca '72 AWH Custom D10 8+3, Peavey Nashville 1000

Mike Simpson · From: Gilbert, Arizona, USA

2 weeks ago someone stold my bag of pedals from the van infront of my house when I was loading up for to go to a gig. I lost a TU-2, GE-7, CE-5 and a DD5... and a bunch of other "possibles"... good thing they were stupid or scared off... they left my 62 ES335 and the other 5 guitars and 2 super reverbs in the van... I was only in the house a couple of minutes.

Anyway... I was looking at the Boss ME-50, I have never been a multi effect fan and it has a lot of stuff I would never use. Since Boss makes the pedals and they make the ME-50 do you guys still think it would be better to replace the pedals? The ME-50 has knobs like the pedals do and not just a LCD window. Anyone ever use a Boss ME-50?

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Big Mike http://www.blinddogband.com http://www.myspace.com/blinddogbluesband

[This message was edited by Mike Simpson on 18 March 2006 at 08:03 AM.]

Roger Francis · From: kokomo,Indiana, USA

I have used both and i prefer the boxes becuse i don't use a lot of effects anyway, just a little reverb and a little delay, whitch set within reaching distance to do any tweeking on the fly, i love the natural sound of the steel and a little verb and delay gives some depth to the total sound. I hate making ajustments from song to song, so once it's set i like to just sit back and play, MPO

[This message was edited by Roger Francis on 18 March 2006 at 10:22 AM.]

Bob Martin · From: Madison Tn

Well Pat, there ya go. I knew it would be a close race. I just can't brag on the GT-8 enough. When you get it you will see what I'm talking about. Like I said I think it models every stomp box boss makes so how could you go wrong. If you just want stomp box effects leave all the others shut off and just use the stomp boxes.

I've used digital effect rack mount units since 1982 when I got the first digital delay/chorus that Roland made called the SDE-1000. I thought I had died and went to Heaven after using all of the noisy stomp boxes I finally had digital delay and chorus/flange and a few other effects all in one space.

Then in 1985 I bought another Roland first it was the DEP-5 and it was capable of using 2 effects at once like chorus and reverb or reverb and delay or on and on. This time I knew I had died and went to Heaven. The digital reverb was so good that I still have one and use it in the studio. So when a company makes a digital rack mount that is still viable 20 yrs later I'd say the've done something right.

Well Pat enjoy your GT-8 and let me know how you like it or if you have any questions I'll be glad to help if I can.

Bob

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

The GT-8 kicks serious BUTT!
I have to agree with Bob, they've got this one right. I do believe that Boss should provide a patch editor/librarian but there are third party products under development that fill the gap.

I have been using the GT-6 and now the -8 as my only reverb, delay, chorus and EQ for several years and have never wanted anything else. I use them with my Standel amps which only have bass and treble controls. The GT-6 and -8 do a great job of storing the various combinations I use with my various amps. Both units are excellent in my book. Just about every stompbox Boss has ever made -- and then some -- in a wonderful user interface. When I saw that the front panel had 15 knobs and 16 switches that provide DIRECT ACCESS to stuff like reverb level, chorus level, delay time and feedback, preamp EQ and A WHOLE LOT MORE right at your fingertips I was ALMOST sold. Once I heard how good the Fx and amp/spkr/mic models sounded, I was totally sold -- enough to buy two of them -- one for home and one for the studio or gig.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S/D-12 6x6, 1984 Sho-Bud S/D-12 7x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

Smiley Roberts · From: Hendersonville,Tn. 37075

Klaus Caprani · From: Copenhagen, Denmark

This subject is almost religious.

I'm using a Boss GT-6 myself, through a TL Audio 5050 tube pre-amp/compressor, into my silverface Deluxe Reverb (Or line in, whichever gives me the most suitable results).

To me that's all I ever wanted.

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Klaus Caprani

MCI RangeXpander S-10 3x4
www.klauscaprani.com

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

As long as you can pick up "second-generation" used items like the Digitech Genesis 3 for $85 or so, it seems crazy to me to ever waste money on another mere stompbox. The multi-effect units have a huge degree of tonal control in addition to each effect - meaning you can re-EQ the beast for each effect's setting - and you can do subtle layering of effects too. Overdone chorus can be nasty indeed, but if you overlay just a hint (10%?) on top of some overdrive and reverb? Oooh baby. The key, killer point to me is that you can control the blend of each effect with the straight signal, and this bangs their usefulness right through the roof. A precious few stompboxes like the Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive have a blend control, but for that price I can buy at least one more "obsolete" multi-effect unit and an A/B/Y switcher to boot - case closed.

P.S.(Sunday morn - there's a Digitech RP-100 on Ebay buy-it-now for $40 that I would snatch up in a Tokyo nanosecond if I wasn't earnestly saving my pennies to squander on something else.)

[This message was edited by David Mason on 19 March 2006 at 05:15 AM.]

Per Berner · From: Skovde, Sweden

Time for an update:
My GT-8 arrived last night, and I spent a couple of hours toying with it.

Initial impressions: Very quiet, very good amp modeling, useful presets, good soft overdrive sounds. Compression, chorusing, tremolo and reverb all as good as or better than my BOSS stompboxes, which will soon be heading for internet auction.

It's still not quite user-friendly, though. I believe that a really good device should be totally intuitive, but this one definitely needs its manual. A weekend's worth of studying should take care of that.

BTW: Looks-wise, it's a perfect match for the NV1000!

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´75 Emmons p/p D10 8+4, '96 Emmons Legrande II D10 8+5, ca '72 AWH Custom D10 8+3, Peavey Nashville 1000

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

I use both..

Original Profex for Stereo Delay...which I wrote a specific patch for, and a second patch for Stereo Delay with a tad of Phaser..

but when it's time to rock out..I have the Boss Blues Drive BD-2 in the loop.( Blue Pedal)

See, I can live in both camps and use all 3 sides of my brain, the left and the left..

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TPrior
TPrior Steel Guitar Homesite

Ben Jones · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

If it works for you, thats great!
I prefer individual pedals (many of which i make myself or mod) because I feel certain manufacturers excell at certain units. The mxr phase 90 for example to me is far superior to a Boss phase, a delay with a high cut mod is more appealing to me than stock, etc, etc. I can also change the order in which the effects enter the chain which greatly alters their character. A wah before your overdrive sounds very differnet than a wah after your overdrive, etc.

If I ever get my electronics skills up to snuff, my dream would be to put all the effects (both homemade and store bought)I really like into one enclosure.

I am skeptical of multi-effect untis because i am a firm beleiever in the "do one thing very well, not one hundred things half arsed" philosophy...but...
Bottom line if an effect or multi-effect gets you to where you wanna be...its the right tool for you. Furthermore, today's junk , is tomorrows hot ebay item...so you never know...its amazing how peoples opinons of things change as time passes or things go out of production.

Per Berner · From: Skovde, Sweden

The things I don't like about stompboxes are mainly the fact that they make a mess on the floor, eat batteries and look dreadful in all their gaudy colors. Besides, a new GT-8 costs about the same as five or six or maybe even seven separate units, which indicates that the quality of the contents would be comparable. And the stompboxes don't have headphone outputs! It seems as if ease of use is their one and only (albeit HUGE) advantage.

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´75 Emmons p/p D10 8+4, '96 Emmons Legrande II D10 8+5, ca '72 AWH Custom D10 8+3, Peavey Nashville 1000

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

I agree that being able to change the order of effects is a big plus, one thing my Digitech Genesis 3 won't let me do - I gather the nicer rack-mount multi-effect units do let you do this. Also, separate pedals and/or a rack let you run a stereo chain, one reason I will never outgrow a rack for recording. However, I do like to use multiple effects simultaneously for standard guitar sometimes, and those stompboxes get noisy when you start plugging 3 or more of them together. It doesn't matter what brand they are, using that many stages of transistor-tone gain gets flat out wierd sounding, and using even a budget level multi-effect unit cures the noise problem.

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