Should I try BOSS GT-1000 for 4cm?

Analog up front; digital in the loop!

Would possibly prefer that in a 4CM setup, too, but otoh, in case gains and levels can be matched fine and there's no unexpected noise issues, the combination of an all-in-one MFX device and a decent amp is pretty tough to beat for a whole number of reasons.
Had a play with my old alround setup some weeks back, a GT-10 and a Laney LC50 combo in 4CM - apart from the mentioned GT-10 tonesuck (quite weird btw., it's been the worst GT in that aspect, all older models were doing better, the newer ones anyway), it'd still be a setup that'd just serve me well for pretty much any gig. Ultra portable, too.
 
Would possibly prefer that in a 4CM setup, too, but otoh, in case gains and levels can be matched fine and there's no unexpected noise issues, the combination of an all-in-one MFX device and a decent amp is pretty tough to beat for a whole number of reasons.
Had a play with my old alround setup some weeks back, a GT-10 and a Laney LC50 combo in 4CM - apart from the mentioned GT-10 tonesuck (quite weird btw., it's been the worst GT in that aspect, all older models were doing better, the newer ones anyway), it'd still be a setup that'd just serve me well for pretty much any gig. Ultra portable, too.
Agree 100% in theory. I've just tried everything current for this and prefer analog drives and wahs vs. digital counterparts.
 
Update:

I played the Stomp in 4cm, both on its own and with the Mesa Stowaway + JHS Prestige in front of it. Played it for a couple of hours, also compared the Prestige (actual pedal) with the EP Booster model (Kinky Boost) and tried a bunch of the drives and other Stomp effects in front of the amp (still 4cm).

While it sounded good and usable, there is definitely a difference in touch response and overall "connectedness" feeling with the Stomp in 4cm. Like, playing softly and then digging in, or with your fingers and using lots of dynamics, it's not as quick to respond and feels a bit removed (latency, dare I say?). Maybe this is more apparent with my particular amp, as one of the things I love about it is how it responds to picking dynamics.

It's enough of a difference to put me off trying a GT-1000 in 4cm, anyway. I can't imagine it's a huge amount better, if at all, being as I didn't like the MS3 in 4cm, either. Also, my actual drive and modulation pedals just sound and feel way better than the Stomp versions (especially Uni-Vibe, there’s no comparison).

So, I'm giving the whole "using nothing but a digital multi-effects" thing a rest and going back to analog pedals in front and Stomp In The Loop™. I pulled apart my entire board and re-organized + rewired it all, which is seeming like the best solution, at this point. Very happy with it.

If I ever do go full digital for effects, it will be with the FM9 again, I think. That was the best of them all, by far.
 
Last edited:
Also, with this route ^^^, I get to keep the beloved Transistor Tape delay.... :love:love:love

Along with all Stomp/Helix delays, just love them. Also love how fast and easy it is to work the Stomp, it's like second nature and lets you keep the creativity flowing.

And finally, what a great do-it-all box to have in your loop, just so useful, love it. :chef

Here's what I've got it doing:

EQ
high/low pass
noise gate
clean boost
looper
tuner
delays
chorus
flange
octave-down (still works well in the loop, remarkably)

+ it's a backup for my amp if anything goes down.

***So the GT-1000 4cm question concludes with: I LOVE MY STOMP! ALL HAIL THE STOMP!***

:rofl
 
FWIW I love the MS3. I used to gig with it and it worked great as the brain of my rig. I made a secondary switch for it, and using the loops I could bring in and out an overdrive and a secondary preamp to run with my rig.

1693166571501.png
 
The last thing you wrote/typed. :LOL:

I am surprised the MS-3 is not more popular----given the nature of what it does, the
size it is, and how you can integrate some included digital Boss FX with external pedals
and effects. :idk

Seems like a lot of kit for less than $500.
When I was looking for a decent multi fx solution a few years ago, I did lots of research and ended up with 3 contenders:

- Boss MS-3 (integrate with my rig)
- TC Plethora X5 (integrate with drives mostly)
- HX FX (Integration possible, but not necessary)

The HX FX won due to flexibility, sounds, and firmware upgrades.

The Plethora looked/felt cheap and general distrust in Behringer product support made me steer clear.

The MS-3 looked and felt sturdy and valuable, but on its own needs more footswitches, imho, which is probably a matter of taste after all. Also, the amount of I/O jacks looks a bit scary to me, since I always create a hot mess when wiring up a board. I have ADHD and just CAN NOT take the time to do these things tidily, as flawed as it might sound. I do not want to send any pedals flying through the room, just because my patience is exhausted and I get all angry/grumpy/twitchy. :(
 
When I was looking for a decent multi fx solution a few years ago, I did lots of research and ended up with 3 contenders:

- Boss MS-3 (integrate with my rig)
- TC Plethora X5 (integrate with drives mostly)
- HX FX (Integration possible, but not necessary)

The HX FX won due to flexibility, sounds, and firmware upgrades.

The Plethora looked/felt cheap and general distrust in Behringer product support made me steer clear.

The MS-3 looked and felt sturdy and valuable, but on its own needs more footswitches, imho, which is probably a matter of taste after all. Also, the amount of I/O jacks looks a bit scary to me, since I always create a hot mess when wiring up a board. I have ADHD and just CAN NOT take the time to do these things tidily, as flawed as it might sound. I do not want to send any pedals flying through the room, just because my patience is exhausted and I get all angry/grumpy/twitchy. :(
The biggest problem I had with the MS3 is that I'd sometimes accidentally hit one of the little black buttons when playing live and it would mess something up so badly I had to kneel down to my board and fix it mid song. This happened once and I learned not to do it again. They really should have had a bar in front of the buttons on this device.
 
The biggest problem I had with the MS3 is that I'd sometimes accidentally hit one of the little black buttons when playing live and it would mess something up so badly I had to kneel down to my board and fix it mid song. This happened once and I learned not to do it again. They really should have had a bar in front of the buttons on this device.
Oh don't we all hate it when switching turns into a sh*tfest and messes with your focus mid-song...

There's a reason why I keep trying to avoid mini-size pedals with size 11 shoes.

And stepping on the controls also sucks.
 
If you possibly don't need all 3 loops of the MS-3 but just two, want to have a volume pedal anyway, IMO there's little reasons to get an MS-3 over a GT-1000. Yeah, sure, signal "purity". As if I'd care...
 
So I had a great time with the GT-1000 last night. Absolutely love the size and form factor and the 4cm felt pretty damn good, response and feel-wise. Too early to say much, but I set up a patch for gigging and am bringing it to practice tonight instead of my pedalboard, so we'll see.

One thing that made me smile with deep satisfaction was setting it up for amp channel switching in about 5 seconds and having it work perfectly, no ground hum, no extra midi switcher needed.
 
So I had a great time with the GT-1000 last night. Absolutely love the size and form factor and the 4cm felt pretty damn good, response and feel-wise. Too early to say much, but I set up a patch for gigging and am bringing it to practice tonight instead of my pedalboard, so we'll see.

One thing that made me smile with deep satisfaction was setting it up for amp channel switching in about 5 seconds and having it work perfectly, no ground hum, no extra midi switcher needed.
Amp channel switching is a HUGE thing. For sure. Report back!
 
I know this is an old piece of gear and everyone's excited about the new Fender modeler... :)

However, in my own little 4cm world here, for some reason I've tried the HXFX, Helix Floor, Stomp, FM3, FM9, even the MS3, but always steered clear of the GT-1000. Mostly because of snobbery and a mindset of "why wouldn't I just get the Helix Floor again, if going all-in-one" (despite it's channel-switching woes). But the Helix's size, weight, and the channel thing have generally kept me away.

Anyway, so far I'm really liking the 1000. It does have a bit of that slightly-disconnected feeling that comes with 4cm, but overall it sounds and feels better than anything I've tried, other than the FM9. Love the effects overall, and even the workflow suits me. Don't have a lot of digital BOSS experience, but I did have the MS3, so that has helped.

As for the drives, @JiveTurkey, I found the Natural Overdrive and Blues Driver to work well for me. Can't say I love them as much as my actual pedals, but I also haven't spent a huge amount of time tweaking things or trying the other ones. Mostly just set up a quick patch and didn't mess with it too much at practice. Going to spend some more time with it tonight.
 
Back
Top