# Boss GT-10



## YinYangRonin (Jun 11, 2008)

I'm going to copy and paste this from the review I did on ultimate-guitar.com . I'm Shor-T Zero over there, just to clarify that. If you want just 7-string advice on this, then scroll all the way to the bottom, and I'll have it there.

Also, they're scale is 0 to 10. So anything 10 is a five here, and I'd probably consider a 9 a 4.5 over here or so.

Reviewed by: Shor-T Zero, on june 11, 2008

Price paid: $ 499.00

Purchased from: Sam Ash

Ease of Use: Usually, a multi-effect pedal is supposed to be an ordeal to learn, in that you have to spend hours finding a good Overdrive or Distortion tone. Not so with the GT-10. It has a feature called the EZ Tone, which lets you graphically shape your tone. Once you do, you can save it as it's own patch, and there you go. I'll break it down into steps, since no one has yet.

01. After clicking Create under the EZ tone category, you'll choose from genres like Blues, Country, Soul Funk, Jazz, 70's Hard Rock, 80's Metal, Modern Metal, Punk, Progressive, Acoustic, and a few others.
02. From there, you Pick a variation (for example, Modern Metal has different variations that will focus on solos, or rhythm).
03. Once you Pick a variation, you use a graph system with the main knobs that feels like you are drawing on an Etch-and-Sketch. The tone is shaped by what area of the graph your cursor is in (in an x, y coordinate graph). The farther right you go, the harder the tone hits. Moving to softer warms up the tone. And then there is the solo or backing axis that modifies the mids and higher ups in the EQ.
04. You can then set delay and reverb in the next graph.

And that's it. Then you can nit-Pick from there, and that could take a little while, depending on how picky you are. Editing patches is easy as well, feels like a normal unit, but it is pretty fast and easy. The manual is a little thick, but the font is also a bit bigger, so it is easy to read. The manual also has a cut-out booklet, basically a 4 page deal (front and back of 2 sheets) that has all of the presets. Very easy to use if you put at least 5 minutes into getting acquainted with the EZ-Tone deal. After that, it depends on what sound you want. I haven't owned a previous iteration of the GT-x series, but I can definitely say, it's probably a huge step up because this thing rocks. // 10
Sound: I have a few number of setups. I've yet to try my main one, which is my guitar into a Crate half-stack. I'm debating about putting my Mesa/Boogie V-Twin pedal in front of the GT-10 or behind it. I'll see how it goes. So far though, I've used it on a small Ibanez practice amp, a Fender 212R combo amp, and the headphone jack. My guitars include an ESP/ltd. Viper-400, Dean Dime Razorback (two-tone), and a Schecter Revenger 7 (7stringer). Another great thing about this pedal is that it has an output selector, which lets you Pick what kind of amp you are coming out of, and then the GT-10 will adjust it's voicing to that. You can Pick between a JC120 (from Roland), a small amp (practice amp), a combo, a stack, and a line/headphones sound (for use with a PA/mixer and/or headphones). Also, you can Pick the return inputs on the combo, stack, or JC120. Most of the presets are pretty decent. There are some that excel, but of course there are a few failures. The sound has been cleaned dramatically (from what I've heard about the GT-8) and almost all of the distortions sound great. Some of the pre-amps this thing models include a JC-120, a Vox, a Mesa/Boogie combo, a Marshall 1959, a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, and a Tube Screamer (the pedal from Ibanez, but voiced to a pre-amp! ), a Peavey 5150, and many others. The Rectifier sounds really good. It is easy to adjust any of the pre-amps, so that shouldn't be a problem. This thing has a good number of pedals modeled too. A few I'll mention are pretty much any of the Boss od/ds pedals, a Tubescreamer, a Proco Rat, the Guv'nor pedal, a Dist+, an Octave Fuzz, and a Muff fuzz. The pedals sound really good, and there are many things you can edit about them (EQ, voicing, etc.). The distortions have a nice bite to them, and aren't very hiss-prone or whiny, like my Boss MT-2 sometimes is. In fact, I think the MT-2 modeling on this pedal might even be further improved on the original MT-2, if not even better than a modded one. it's all in the ears though, so take heed to that. There are a huge number of effects. You can make a single-coil sound like a humbucker and vice-versa. And even make your guitar sound like a hollow-body or an acoustic. I was playing this at Sam Ash with an ESP/Ltd. Eclipse, I think the 600 model with passive pickups. I turned it to an acoustic setting, strummed, and thought I had grabbed an electric/acoustic. The simulators aren't supposed to be this good! Very clean tone. Besides a guitar simulator, there are a number of effects. These are some of them: compressor, equalizer, delay, chorus, reverb, pedal wah/pedal bend, noise suppressor 1, noise suppressor 2, t wah, auto wah, sub wah, adv comp, limiter, graphic eq, parametric eq, tone modify, guitar sim, guitar synth, and many others. There are a few other synth effects. there is even a feed-back effect that simulates getting feedback, even if playing through head-phones. Pretty useful if you need a single-note phrase with some feed-back kicking in. Each effect has many different parameters to work with. Users familiar with the GT-8 will be happy to know there are now 2 control (ctrl) pedals. Basically these Switch channels on the pre-amps, turn effects on/off, and more. You can hold down on of the control pedals with your foot and get a higher Harmony part for as long as your foot is held down. So if you have a higher melody part that you want, but it comes in for 2 measures every other time you repeat the phrase, you are good to go with that, instead of looking like you are trying out for River Dance. I give sound a 9 just because of a few of the effects being a bit too "out there" in that I might never use them. But for a progressive type of player, this could be a gold-mine of effects. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Oh yes, this thing seems rock solid. You can't use it without the power-cord since there is no place for batteries. But this thing is built like a tank otherwise. The only problem is that the bank switching pedals are a little out of reach. But they aren't anywhere near the screen, which is good. I never really feel safe at any gig. I'd depend on this, but I'd carry some back up effects with me, just because that keeps me comfortable. Otherwise, if I only had room for my amp, guitar, and this, I would most definitely gig without backup. // 10

Impression: I play in a band that plays hard rock with a slight hint of metal. This pedal does everything I need it to in the band. As for myself, I write music as a solo project and for fun, and this takes care of everything. And I will go between different genres. If I'm feeling some blues, I kick that on. If I want to do some fun techno stuff or dark synth for industrial, I can flip that on with no problem. This really is a great pedal. It has 2 midi jacks, so you can use the GT-10 to control MIDI objects as well. I don't use MIDI, so I don't have too much to say about it. The USB is one problem though. They don't include a cable with the GT-10, and I can't get my GT-10 to work with my computer. But that's only because I have a 64-bit version of Vista Ultimate. There are drivers for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Apple. So you should be safe. Check Boss's site for more info. on that. I can't really explain that stuff, since I'm not very tech-savvy. Customer Support, after you register for "backstage" or w/e at Boss so you can see the different manuals and stuff, is very helpful. I e-mailed yesterday about the drivers, and I was replied to today. They even sent a request to the main headquarters to see about making a 64-bit driver. No info. on that though, but it's understood. They were helpful as far as they could be, so for that I thank them. I've been playing for almost 5 years, and my multi-effect pedal before this was the Zoom GFX-5. A knob broke on it, and I wasn't too happy with what I was hearing so I decided to upgrade. I was thinking about this and the DigiTech RP-500. But I decided on this after hearing it, because it just seemed to good to pass up. And I wanted something that could create tones, instead of just full-on replicating them. My friend and other guitarist in my band isn't going to be too happy about me getting this instead of the RP-500, since we were thinking about getting the same pedals so we'd have identical sounds and he doesn't want to shell out for this. I don't really care though, because this pedal probably kicks the RP-500's ass many times over. Maybe the replication isn't as great, but this thing has enough tones and effects where I am completely satisfied. I'm going to be learning things about this system for a good amount of time to come, and then the fun will really start. If you are thinking about getting a multi-effect pedal, and have the cash... get it. I believe you won't regret it. If you plan on recording via USB though, make sure you aren't running a 64-bit OS. Otherwise, go for it. If there is anything else you need, feel free to message me. Or better yet, check the Boss site and look at all the effects and stuff they have under the Knowledge Base. I give this a 9, only because of a few of the presets (which really shouldn't be taken into account, but for those that like all presets to be great, then the 9 is for them... otherwise, if you aren't too picky with presets, give it a 10) and the USB driver problem. I'm sure someone will have a fix sometime soon. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and get back to jamming out with it. // 9



7-string (dot) org update:

Ok fellow seven stringers.  Here's my input on the 7 string side of this pedal.

Let me just say, a LOT of the distortions sound good with a 7. I have a run-of-the-mill Schecter Revenger 7. No custom add-ons or anything. My 7 has never sounded better through anything. This thing just nails it. And even if it doesn't with the "7-string Impact" preset, then just jump into the EZ Tone program (talked about in the above review...its not for the computer, its built in. Very easy to use). You'll find your tone in no time. This is the first multi-effects unit I've seen have a 7-string Wah effect. There aren't too many of those, I don't think. While it sounds pretty close to a regular Fat Wah, I bet if I had better gear, I'd be hearing the difference. This thing works the filtering on the low B string like butter. It's some great stuff.

As far as to what I'm playing this through for reference, I've yet to run it through my Crate half-stack. But I've run it through the headphone jack (which sounds amazing, believe me. Get the headphones that surround your ears. They don't have to be professional quality, but the better headphones will make better sounds.), a practice amp (small Ibanez starter-kit amp), and a Fender 212R combo amp. On the Fender, I've run it through both the inputs and the bypass input (where it bypasses the amp's eq). I have to say, the bypass is probably the best. This thing has an Output selector, which lets the GT-10 know what it needs to voice for. So you'll hear very noticeable changes in the tone and voicing of it depending on how you change it. If you ever use headphones, use the line/headphones output, it is the key to getting awesome sounds when you just are jamming and have to stay quiet. I've gotten a few wonky sounds out of the GT-10 because the output selector was on different things. But when I switched it to JC120 (regular or return) and combo (regular or return), this thing gets cranking. I can only imagine what it sounds like through a PA. I'll be testing it on my half-stack soon.

Hope you all enjoyed the review and if you have any questions, post them here or message me. Check on youtube, a user named bossgtten put up videos of direct in (to computer through USB) sounds of the pedal. Those videos are probably the best video reviews out there.. And be sure to check Boss's site for things on patches and stuff. Actually, I'll do the seven string community a favor. Below, is a list of most (there are some I left off, for copyright reasons...not really, just a little lazy  ) of the distortion/overdrive pedals and amplifiers this thing models/replicates. Enjoy.

Here you go, and continue to rock on! I'd give this a 9.5/10 !

effects of Boss 10
Compressor
OD/DS
Preamp
Equalizer
Delay
Chorus Reverb
Pedal Wah/Pedal bend
Noise Suppressor 1
Noise Suppressor 2
T Wah
Auto Wah
Sub Wah
Adv Comp
Limiter
Graphic EQ
Para EQ
Tone modify
Guitar Sim
Slow Gear
Defretter
Wave Synth
Guitar Synth
Sitar Sim
Octave
Pitch Shifter
Harmonist
Auto Riff
Sound Hold
AC Processor
Feedback
Anti-Feedback
Phaser
Flanger
Tremelo
Rotary
Uni-V
Pan
Slicer
Vibrato
Ring Mod
Humanizer
2X2 Chorus
Sub Delay

OD/DS
Mid Boost
Clean Boost
Treble Bst
Blues OD
Crunch
Natural OD
OD-1
T-Scream
Turbo OD
Warm OD
Distortion
Mild DS
Mid DS
RAT
GUV DS
DST+
Modern DS
Solid DS
Stack
Loud
Metal Zone
Lead
60's Lead
Oct Fuzz
Muff Fuzz

Pre-Amp
Boss Clean
JC-120
Jazz Combo
Full Range
Clean Twin
Pro Crunch
Tweed
Deluxe Crunch
Boss Crunch
Blues
Wild Crunch
Stack Crunch
VO Drive
VO Lead
VO Clean
Match Drive
Fat Match
BG Lead
BG Drive
BG Rhythm
MS 1959 I
MS 1959 I + II
MS Hi Gain
MS Scoop
R-Fier Vnt
R-Fier Mdn
R-Fier Cln
T-Amp Lead
T-Amp Crunch
T-Amp Clean
Boss Drive
SLDN
Lead Stack
Heavy Lead
Boss Lead
5150 Lead
Metal Lead
Edge Lead

Wahs:
Cry Wah
VO Wah
Fat Wah
Light Wah
7 String Wah
Reso Wah


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## Stuart (Jun 12, 2008)

The unit rocks! The R-fier with the 7th string gives an awesome growl and there are so many other great sounds to be created with this. Everyone get one!


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## twiztedchild (Jul 31, 2008)

would this be good to use live?


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## cow 7 sig (Aug 2, 2008)

^^^^^ YES


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## Josh Lawson (Aug 2, 2008)

How fast is the patch switching? The GT8 wasn't very fast and there was a noticable drop out between switching. The Zoom G7.1ut is VERY fast and switching is seamless for the most part. When you switch over, do the delay tails continue?


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## HANIAK (Aug 6, 2008)

I'd like to know how this thing behaves when recording through USB.
I've listened it's main rival (POD XT/X3 live), but never listened to the gt-10 recorded sound, and i'm curious to know if the gt-10 is at the same level of the POD, when home recording.


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## Rachmaninoff (Aug 6, 2008)

This MFX is amazing, regarding flexibility and effects.
But the preamps suck, IMO.


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## YinYangRonin (Aug 26, 2008)

Ok, let me see if I can answer some of these questions.

To twiztedchild: Yes, I use it live and it is amazing. My only complaint is the brightness of the LEDs. But you can dull them down if need be by putting some tape over them or something. And in case it is a really dark stage, you can even have the non-active LEDs blink so you know where you're pedals are. So you don't misstep on them.

to Josh Lawson: Yes, the patches switch seamlessly. In my experience, it is as fast of a switch as Boss could make it. There isn't a drop-out, I don't think. Oh, and if you want a delay in switching, like a carry-over from distortion to clean, you can adjust that, and the time. But I never really used it. It does have a good sound to it when you do decide to use it though.

Haniak: USB-wise, it is exceptional. Easy to use, and it works great. Now, I'm not sure how it compares to POD stuff, and since the pods are known for their computer stuff, well it might not be as good as a POD. But so far to me, it is very easy to manage. And in fact, that's where the cab-modeling and customizing comes into play, because I believe the USB recording takes into fact all of that customizing and such. I'm not exactly sure though.

Rachmaninoff: It is amazing. And that is your opinion on the pre-amps, which is valid. I don't use a lot of them. Although, I have learned something. If you want to just a distortion pedal on the GT-10, just have it go into a JC-120 pre-amp, a clean Fender pre-amp, or the T-amp (tube amp) clean pre-amp, and it provides a very rich tone, once you dial in everything. Just thought I'd point that out. and it works best with a loud, but not overly gain-driven distortion. I've gotten great metal tones using the Guvnor model into the tube amp, and I thought that was cool. And a great rock tone, almost high-gain blues (when I switched to my neck pickup) with the TS-9 model into the tube-clean. And for acoustic tones, do a Full-Range pre-amp and then an acoustic simulator effect. where you put the effect is up to you. let me know what you think, and be sure to post more questions if you have any.


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## Stuart (Sep 17, 2008)

If you want to hear how the GT10 sounds recorded direct through USB the go to bossgtcentral.com/forum In the GT10 section there are recorded patch examples of presets and users own patches. I would recommend outputting all tracks to your amp when recording as this solves any time delay issues that may arise.


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## ciolansteen (Sep 25, 2008)

There is one problem (huge problem if you ask me) I fond on playing 7 strings chords with GT10. 

So, things go like this... playing chords on the B string, makes the whole thing to sound out of tune. I don't get'it... I think it is a bug in the way that GT10 gets information of more then one low frequency played in the same time. 

Now, from what I heard, the guys from BOSS said about a coulpe or more months ago, that there will be an update to fix this issue... but there's nothing yet 

Besides that and the fact that the whole package should come with a pair of sunglasses (the damn toy is quite a light source), this GT is a great tool. 

I would also give an + to the fact that both FX1 and FX2 contain the same efects, wich gives us more efects chains to rule on! ... and do not forget the 40 seconds of loop, wich is a bless especially if you are single guitarist in a band. 

About the audio interface... hmmm, I can say that I found that tool a blessing for a guy who travels. One laptop and this GT-machine is a great on the way - idea - recording solution.


Anyway, I hope that update will come out quickly, otherwise I'll find myself forced to sell this beauty and buy a GT-PRO...


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## endo (Sep 15, 2011)

The GT-10 is awesome! I have to say, if you're looking for a distortion, you should stick to creating your own and EQ'ing them. A lot of the stock distortions sound "squeaky" which is a let down because it costs 500 bucks.

The USB DI recording is great and 99% of the time sounds exactly like it does in the recording as your headphones/speakers/cab does.

Also, it may be my guitar, but when I have this thing on the floor, it picks up the drums at times. It might be my guitar as I said, it needs a tune up :\


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