Boss GT-Pro

[paleamberglow]

has anyone used this and have an opinion on it? how does it sound with mesa? are the effects very similar to boss pedals? I am considering getting one, it is a bit pricey though

 

[bduersch]

I've used the GT8, which is essentially the floormount version of the GT-PRO (I also owned a GT6 in the past). I kept it for about 3 weeks and sent it back.

Pros:
1) (GT8 specific) I loved having an integrated FX unit & MIDI controller, since my amp has built-in MIDI already. I was able to get rid of my rack entirely. Even if you don't have a MIDI amp, the GT8 has a 1/4" switching jack.

2) Unit has a very wide variety of FX, based on Boss classics. As such, most of the FX have 2-3 real knobs that you can tweak, which is great for making rapid adjustments on stage. I found the unit very intuitive.

3) Using the 4-cable method (putting your preamp in the GT's FX loop) allows you to put some FX (wah, overdrive, comp) in front of the amp, and time-based FX (delay, reverb) in the amp's FX loop, so you may be able to get rid of a few wah/OD pedals if you're really looking to simplify your rig.

Cons:

1) I found the GT8 to suck tone like nothing else. Made my guitars sound flat & dull. It took away the feel of being plugged into a tube amp. While the FX quality was generally good, some of the FX had an overly digital quality to them.

I dunno... I REALLY wanted to like the GT8. There really are a lot of pros to this unit, but to me the tone suck issue was so bad that I couldn't justify keeping it. I returned it and picked up a Lexicon MPX-G2/R1, which was twice the cost of the Boss used, but a lot more transparent for sure.

Also, it's worth noting that I did try using a couple different buffers to improve signal quality through the Boss, but they didn't help. I've recently started using a Radial Dragster to improve the feel when I'm playing through a wireless unit, and I wonder if the Dragster in front of the GT8 would've made it feel a bit smoother.

--B

 

[Scorch]

I run a GTPro with a Mesa Mk IV and a Simul-class head and it sounds beter than anything I've ever tried before. First off, you can't settle for the default settings as they are way over the top. Second, you have to understand the concept of unity gain as there are several gain stages to consider and if they are not set correctly it can get out of hand fast. Third, I use the four wire system (8 wire in my case!) and this is a must to get an absolute clean response through the system.
The default settings are not setup for a 4 wire system. It puts the loop out in the wrong place (in front of the OD and pre-amp and Noise suppression). This WILL cause a noise and tone sucking effect. If you put The loop out AFTER the Noise Suppresion, OD, and Pre-amp and have all the time domain effects after the loop you will get some incredibly righteous tones. I've got full stereo reverb, chorus, delay, etc.
Using the COSM modeling pre-amp as a glorfied stomp-box IN FRONT of the MESA inputs I get hundreds of incredible sounds. The cleans are amazing (twin, vox ac, matchless), the marshall models are fabulous thru the MESA pre-amps. Does it sound exactly like a vintage marshall? Of course not. A Simul-class power stage ( which both the Mk IV and satellite head are) will not sound exactly like a Marshall power amp. But it sure has the vibe and snarl. And with 3 channels on the Mk IV, each modeling patch sounds completely different on each channel.
The GT PRO is a complete sleeper system. I can't believe more people haven't caught on to this. It is NOT a system for people with no patience. It's a tweakers unit (like the Mk IV) but the results are a totally pro sound. Completely quiet, amazing versatility, and thousands of sounds.
If you need more info, let me know. I've been playing for over thirty years and this has re-kindled my stoke for playing, big-time.

 

[paleamberglow]

thanks for the info man, much appreciated! what exactly do you mean with 4-cable method? stereo cables into the unit and stereo cables out? thanks! -dm

 

[Wrake]

thanks for the info man, much appreciated! what exactly do you mean with 4-cable method? stereo cables into the unit and stereo cables out? thanks! -dm

From what I understand, the 4 cable method is this:

Guitar <cable> GTpro <cable> Input on the head <cable for fx out> GTpro fx in <cable out to FX return on the head>

This basicly allows you to setup the GT pro to use "pre-preamp" effects before the head (phasers, compressors, etc) and "loop effects" in the loop.

Wrake

 

[paleamberglow]

ah ok, i understand

 

[bduersch]

I run a GTPro with a Mesa Mk IV and a Simul-class head and it sounds beter than anything I've ever tried before. First off, you can't settle for the default settings as they are way over the top. Second, you have to understand the concept of unity gain as there are several gain stages to consider and if they are not set correctly it can get out of hand fast. Third, I use the four wire system (8 wire in my case!) and this is a must to get an absolute clean response through the system.
The default settings are not setup for a 4 wire system. It puts the loop out in the wrong place (in front of the OD and pre-amp and Noise suppression). This WILL cause a noise and tone sucking effect. If you put The loop out AFTER the Noise Suppresion, OD, and Pre-amp and have all the time domain effects after the loop you will get some incredibly righteous tones. I've got full stereo reverb, chorus, delay, etc....

I put a lot of time into tweaking my GT8 to get it to sound good... everything from changing FX/loop order to tweaking send/return levels, and could never get the tone/feel transparent enough for my tastes. But every time I see a positive review of the GT gear, it reminds me how I really hoped that the GT8 would be my ideal solution.

If I can ask, how long are your cables running from GT to amp? I'm assuming pretty short since you have the rackmount version. I had my GT8 on the floor... probably had three 15-20' cables running between the GT8 and the amp. I'm sure that wasn't helping much, although I don't know how much shorter cables I'd be able to use when gigging (unless I put my amp head on the floor close to the GT8 and used long speaker cables back to the cabs).

Another thought... I just saw an article on GTCentral about using a multimeter and a sinewave generator as a means to help get the unity gain levels right. Sounds a little more scientific, hopefully a little more accurate than using guesswork.

Finally, I've recently started using a Radial Dragster on my guitar strap to improve the feel/tone with my wireless unit. I remember the Radial website said that the Dragster could improve the feel with FX & modeling units as well, so perhaps that would've helped with my GT8 tone suck issue.

I dunno... I kinda want to revisit the GT8... I've now got a little more free time to experiment with it.

--B

 

[Scorch]

I use 3' George L's for both amps. 15' Geo L for guitar.

Each effect has its own gain control.

For instance: OD>Pre>NS>LP>EQ>Dly>Rev> out to amp

If ONE effect gain is set low, your apparent volume will sag.

Wrake has the four wire setup correct.

I run my fave OD stomp-boxes into the pre-loop and switch with a GCX switcher.

I get nine different sounds out of each patch: Pre 1 (Ch1,2,3) Pre 2 (Ch1,2,3) and Pre bypassed (Ch 1,2,3)

Sorry this is short and sweet but I wrote a big 2 page description and my connection timed out and I lost it all!

 

[bduersch]

Thanks... this is most helpful. I found a good deal on a used GT8, and I think I'm going to pick it up and give it another try.

I currently have a Lexicon MPX-G2/R1 (which supports the 4-cable method), and while I like the way it sounds, I so few FX these days that it's not worth holding on to given the complexity. I think the R1 controller is about the same size as the GT8. But the G2 is currently the only thing in my rack, so if the GT8 works I'll be able to get rid of my rack completely.

Cool thing is, I'll be able to use the GT8 as a MIDI controller for my H&K Triamp II. Sucks though that it only has one switching relay... I won't be able to switch all the channels on my Mark III. (The Lexicon R1, if nothing else, sports 2 relays so it can switch all 3 channels on the Mark III)

--B

 

[bduersch]

Ok... today while I was making the "music store circuit", I managed to hook up a good deal on a new GT8 once again. So I spent the evening reading up on the GTCentral site. Then I went about getting the GT8 rigged up to my Mark III, getting the system I/O levels set, and building a "unity gain" preset with the effects in their proper order & bypassed.

Only time will tell for sure, but the GT8 seems to be sounding better this time around than last time... for example, it appears that when all the levels are set to 100 (theoretically no cut, no boost), there actually IS a boost, which was probably causing clipping in my old setup. Compensating for that... now my cleans are actually staying cleaner. There's still a touch of hiss/distortion present, but there's still a lot of options I can tweak, too. So we'll see how it goes... I'm certainly feeling more optimistic about the GT8 second time around.

(In retrospect, I used my last GT8 with a Randall MTS amp that never seemed to respond well to pedals anyway... the Mesa has always felt more pedal-friendly)

Tomorrow I'll probably break out the Dragster, and see if that makes any difference.

--B

 

[Scorch]

I think your going about it the right way. Build a patch from scratch with no effects. Make sure your effect chain is in a logical order (default is NOT logical).

For instance, have all effects that are typical noise makers (phasers, OD, pre-amp with cranked gain before the noise-suppressior (NS) and then into the front of the Mesa. I have that setup for both of my Mesa's. Dead quiet.

I suggest trying each patch in the low gain setting (Low,Med,Hi) first and crank the pre-gain to taste and control unity gain from the patch level control. I've found a little hiss in medium gain switch and pre-gain turned up. High gain switch is almost un-usable. Even Boss didn't use any patches using hi-gain switch and some of theirs is WAY over the top.

I too use very little effect in my patches. Common sense will tell you adding lots of effect into the chain is just going to gum up your tone.

There are some great tones to be had using the lower gain patches. I tend to rough 'em up with some high quality stomp boxes in the pre-loop and the Boss OD selection built in. But then I'm a lower gain, classic rock sound type of guy.

Anyway, enjoy and take your time getting to know the GT8. It's a deep and powerful sucker that has a virtual encyclopedia of tone built into it.

 

[paleamberglow]

Thanks so much to you guys for providing your experiences and info about the Boss GT 8 and GT Pro. I made a post about my experiences with a used Rocktron Intellifex LTD recently, which prompted me to ask something more about the GT Pro.

1. Is there any limitation to the delay time you can use if you are using delay along with another effect? Or is the useable delay time the same no matter how many effects you have going at the same time?

2. Is there a 'spillover' feature for the delay when changing patches with the GT Pro? For instance, when you are playing a patch with delay, and you change patches, does the delayed sound from the first patch keep playing and fade out after you have changed patches, or does it just cut off completely? Do you know of any other effects processors that have this feature?

3. Is it possible to completely bypass/turn off the amp modeling on the GT Pro and use it ONLY as an effects processor? I'm asking because I primarily want to use my Mesa Mark IV for all of my amp sounds, and use the GT pro as a dedicated fx processor.

any info would be appreciated, thanks !

 

[bduersch]

I spent a few hours last night tweaking the new GT8... I'm still not at the point where I'm building a lot of presets, but I'm investing most of my effort into getting the levels matched and getting the GT8 to sound as transparent as possible. The more fiddling around I do, the more I'm impressed with the quality of FX... still not quite as transparent as the Lexicon MPX-G2, but a lot more convenient and easier to dial in.

Last night's project consisted of plugging a tone generator into the GT8 then using the meters on my recording console to get unity gain throughout... so that levels are consistent between the guitar input and loop send, and also consistent between loop return and output. For my setup, I'm getting best results with the loop send at 96 and loop return around 104. (I'd love to repeat this exercise with a white/pink noise generator, just to see how certain frequencies are boost/cut as they pass through the GT8, as a means to tweak the global EQ.)

The other big change I made was turning down the "input presence" setting to -5... one of my big complaints about the GT8 was that it made my clean tones sound brittle (even when everything was set to unity/bypass), so turning down the presence reduces the brittleness and sounds more like plugging straight into the amp.

So anyway... on to some questions...

1. Is there any limitation to the delay time you can use if you are using delay along with another effect? Or is the useable delay time the same no matter how many effects you have going at the same time?

The full length of delay time is always available, regardless of what other FX have been selected. There is also a sub-delay in FX2 that has less available time, but can feed into or be fed by the dedicated delay effect.

2. Is there a 'spillover' feature for the delay when changing patches with the GT Pro? For instance, when you are playing a patch with delay, and you change patches, does the delayed sound from the first patch keep playing and fade out after you have changed patches, or does it just cut off completely? Do you know of any other effects processors that have this feature?

Yes, the GT8 does this for delay and reverb provided that the effects are in the same chain. This is in the system settings under "program change mode". Set it to "fast" for no spillover or "smooth" to enable spillover.

3. Is it possible to completely bypass/turn off the amp modeling on the GT Pro and use it ONLY as an effects processor? I'm asking because I primarily want to use my Mesa Mark IV for all of my amp sounds, and use the GT pro as a dedicated fx processor.

Yes, it is possible to completely bypass the modeling and speaker sim and use purely for FX... that's the setup I'm currently using with my Mark III.

--B

 

[Scorch]

The GT Pro supports four momentary switches for switching just about anything on and off. I have two dual switches, one I switch preamp models and the preamp on and off. The other, I switch the pre-loop in and out (to a DCX switcher that has my five fave stomp-boxes) and the GT Pro OD/distortion effect in and out. I can get a BUNCH of sounds out of one patch!

And speaking of the preamp models and speaker sims. I turned the speaker sims off! I didn't like 'em...ANY off them. They're designed for when you plug straight into a P.A. or into headphones or into a computer workstation. In my opinion they 'color' the sound way too much... and not in a good way. If you've got a great amp pushin' great speakers, the last thing you need is a speaker sim.

I hate to think that you're passing up the modeling preamp. There's just so much vesatility there. The Twin, the Fender Pro, the Vox AC-30, vintage Marshall, and Matchless models, just to name a few, are sounds you just can't get out of a Boogie preamp, as good as it is.

I also have some patches set up where I have two different models going into two different amps. For instance, one has a Fender Pro and the other has a vintage Marshall, the bell-like clang of one with the saturated power tube roar of the other is a really cool sound.

 

[bduersch]

I hate to think that you're passing up the modeling preamp. There's just so much vesatility there. The Twin, the Fender Pro, the Vox AC-30, vintage Marshall, and Matchless models, just to name a few, are sounds you just can't get out of a Boogie preamp, as good as it is.

I dunno... there's a lot of versatility, but at the end of the day, I tend to stick to three or four tones for 95% of my work. I do well with using the GT8 for FX only with a versatile amp like a Mark IV, Egnater TOL100, H&K Triamp, etc. (The Mark III is cool, but a bit limiting for me d/t the shared EQ's)

I'm a bit spoiled, though... two of my most recent amps were a H&K zenTera and Randall MTS rig... I though both had better tubey tone & feel than the GT8's models. The GT8's models still sound too synthetic for me (which, granted, is what I thought about the GT8's effects at first, so perhaps I'll come around on the models as well with time). At least I'm having a lot better luck with the FX this time around, so I don't anticipate getting rid of the GT8 anytime soon.

--B

 

[paleamberglow]

i'm still interested in the preamp/modeling section of the GT Pro, but just for direct recording purposes. I had a boss digital recorder one time that had COSM modeling built in, and I liked some of the sounds I could get from that. But mainly I plan to use the gt pro as an effects processor for live shows in conjunction with my mark IV. in the studio the modeling would be a great tool by itself

 

[paleamberglow]

i ended up getting the GT-Pro and like it a lot so far. i have a question about implementing the 4-cable method with my mark iv -- i have a cable going from the FX Loop 1 send of the GT Pro to the front input of my mark iv head, but what output jack of the mark IV should i use to go back into the FX Loop 1 return of the GT-Pro ? If I use the mark iv's effects loop send then i won't be able to put the GT-Pro in the amp's fx loop. if i use the recording output of the mark iv, then the effects will be looped back into the GT Pro and probably create feedback... i'm guessing i need a signal splitter at the mark iv's effects send jack?

and what about the input to the gt pro? i'm already going to be using it when i plug my guitar straight in, so there's no place to go back into it when i put the gt pro in the amp's fx loop

 

[scottkahn]

Here's a very in-depth review of the GT-Pro. The reviewer who wrote this for us got rid of a Triaxis preamp and uses the GT-Pro as his head running into a Mesa/Boogie tube power amp and loves the combination:

http://www.musicplayers.com/reviews/guitar_bass/2006/0306_BOSSGTpro.php

 

[paleamberglow]

i hate to rain on my own parade, but i ended up returning the GT-Pro. The patch changing issue that i mentioned in the 'rackmounted effects' thread ended up being the dealbreaker. I tried re-initializing the unit to alleviate the problem which didnt work, and there was no OS update at the Boss site. On some patches it wasn't so noticeable but on others it was a very noticeable dropout and/or switch to a new patch before the patch i wanted to select. Sometimes it would go to a factory preset with COSM turned on during the patch change and i would get really bad feedback since I was running it in the boogie's effect loop only. I guess I could have exchanged it for a different GT-Pro (perhaps mine was a lemon) but I decided I want to see what else is out there. the unit's effects were generally good, but not excellent. Particularly the chorus. I ended up using the pitch shifter with some subtle settings instead of the unit's chorus, because it would make too much of a 'swooshing' sound while you were playing and sounded artificial. Overall it was a good sounding effects box with a lot of great features (especially the programmable external effect loops and routing capabilities), but i couldn't justify keeping a $650 unit that couldn't even switch patches quickly and smoothly. My old rocktron intellifex cost me $100 on ebay and didn't have any patch changing issues (and had a much better chorus---so good that i thought about keeping it just for that). I won a lexicon MPX-G2 on ebay and will see if that suits my needs ...

 

[Tremendo]

Interesting thread. I have the GT-6 with my Mark III Simulclass and recently decided to work on my sound from scratch. I used to use the 4 cable method, but it seems my overal tone is more lively using the GT6 as an effects insert from my amp. So here's how I'm set up:

Guitar - Mark III - effects loop (GT6 only) - Speaker = 4x12 1960AHW.

I don't use preamps or modeling at all anymore, and it seems to be a better sound. I've got 3 20' cords that I use. Here are some questions maybe someone can help with:

1) Once the guitar goes into the amp, isn't OK to have the 20' cords, since in the effects out you have a more powerful signal coming from the amp? Isn't the guitar to amp cable the most important one?
2) Does the GT8 (or Pro) channel swicther work for the Mark III amp channels?
3) Any other thoughts?

thanks!

Tom
Kingwood, TX