Boss GT-3

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rats

rats

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This month's issue of Future Music raves about this unit, are there any recent purchasers of this unit out there? If so what do you think? Was it worth the money? I'm looking for an all-in-one unit to replace my existing science project of a rig. My favorite effects currently are my expression pedal with the Lexicon Vortex and a myriad of auto-wahs, phasers, and delays. I mostly am interested in the expression pedal abilities that can be assigned to any given parameter of an effect so if the GT-3 caters to those needs and the spaced out sounds are there, I'm there too!
 
Although I never use the expression pedal on my GT-3, I can see where it would have uses in the right musical landscape. You can do a bunch of programming and get rhythm textures from the thing too. Its a deep unit with a lot of expression possibilities for the creative minded electronic musician. My main beef is that it does not sound as good as a miced tube amp. BUT--if you are into effects and textures, there is a lot to explore with this thing. I have not dived in deep enough to get them, but I'm the type of guy who wants to plug in and get a great guitar/am/effect combo that will make me smile for days. So, take me with a grain of salt.
If you want one, find a used one for a couple hundered bucks. Its worth it for the effects alone.
 
Thanks crawdaddy! They give it a major thumbs up on the sturdiness of it which appeals to me. I tend to be a little heavy handed with my electronics.:eek:
 
You can assign 1 parameter to EXP (the Xpression pedal) and 1 to CTL (the Control Pedal). Then you have 9 'assigns' which you can either send to EXP or CTL.
In english: with the CTL you can click chorus and delay on or off, and with the EXP you can change modulation speed of a flanger and reverb time at the same time... And much more.
I sold my GT-3 after 5 years because I found the sound lacking. Its effects are great and the editability and possibilities are great too. Now for my live rig, I use a Hughes and Kettner Tubefactor for overdrive and distortion and for recording, I use a Digitech Genesis 3 (which has WAAAAAAAAAY better amp sims than the original COSM modeling found in the now somewhat old GT-3. (There's a new GT-6, with knobs and better COSM modelling. it also has distortion and wah modelling.
 
AHHH shit!!!! I meant the GT-6!!! Thanks for pointing that out speedy- I meant for this discussion to be on the GT-6, sorry about that. Yeah future music gave it a "10" rating in build quality and the features like 30 amp sims, 20 pedals, 9 effects types, and 340 patches look really nice. Also the fact that it has a s/pdif output seems very appealing for recording.

So let ne re-phrase my question, has anyone used the GT-6!?

GT-6.jpg
 
Yep! I have. I own one but I haven't got a good soundfile with it because I have just recently recieved my new computer and I still have to tweek it.

I am hoping to get a little jam going using the GT-6 soon!
 
A real tube amp will sound better then the Gt-6 and if your looking to recording DI then look at the LINE 6 POD; the G-6's line-in capabilities aren't very good.

The effects are limited too. For ex., you can't combine humanizer with phaser, which F'ing SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can't combine a few other effects also... Basiclly the Gt-6 doesn't have that Real Tube Hit which a tube amp gives ya.
 
I like my GT6 a lot but i've never used a pod which many people say is better. There are so many different variables to mess about with, and the sound quality is excellent, as is the build quality....i'm quite an enthusiastic stomper and I haven't smashed it to smitherines yet...which I would be worried aabout with some of the cheaper built multi effects pedals.
 
Rats, like with the GT-3, most of the modulation effects are put together in 2 blocks. 1 Block consists of effects like Acoustic Sim, Feedbacker, Slow Gear (=Auto Swell), Tremolo, Pan... The other consists of more spacy effects like Humanizer, Pitch Shifter, Auto Wah, Sub EQ, Flanger, Phaser etc.
So you CAN combine a tremolo with a flanger, but not a flanger with a phaser.

I've gotten pretty good results with direct recording out of my GT-3 (Left Out to recorder, right out to amp, micing amp too) and those sounds were better than when I tried the POD on several occasions. The POD does win for ultra hi gain sounds (like Soldano and Rectifier), but the GT-3 (and probably to a better extent the GT-6 too) have very nice clean and crunchy sounds.

Oh another big thing is that the most important effects for guitar are always independant and simultaneously useable:
-Chorus
-Distortion
-Delay
-Reverb
and I believe EQ and compression too. This is an EXTRA EQ next to the amp sim's EQ. You can even quadruple the EQ, by using

1) the amp sim's EQ (low, mid, high, presence, bright on/off)
2) the EQ effect (low, low mid and high mid fully parametric, high)
3) Sub EQ effect (same as 2) )
4) Global unit's EQ (only low and high, but easy for on the fly tweaking for another amp or something when gigging)

The units (GT-6 and GT-3) take A LOT of tweaking to get a good sound, but once you get the hang of it, it's fine. It took me 5 years to make one really ultimate patch (I used the Soldano sim with a lot of mid boosting and half gain, to get a great allround metal/rock lead and rhythm tone. If I had kept the GT-3, it would be because of this very patch.
Also, the output can be configurated to send it to a mixing desk, a guitar amp input, a guitar amp's fx loop, be sure to get used to its sound. I didn't, and I always liked the Line Out (headphones) sound (which was made for recording). I got a lot of complaints when playing live that my guitar sound was a bit dull.
Now I use stompboxes live, so I'm used to a better response and dynamics again.

Bottom line:
if you need a do it all machine to gig with and record with, the GT-6 seems like your best bet. Be sure to also check out the Digitech GNX2. I like the Digitech's amp sims better, but the GT-6's effects can be tweaked more.
They both have stomp box modeling.
 
Hay- thanks! I'll have to look into that GNX2 as well.

Now all I have to do is figure out where to come up with $400 after I just bought a pair of Yorkville 3 ways and an 8 channel Sunn 400 watt powered mixer last week!
 
I have a barely used GT-6 w/ Rok Sak gig bag for sale if you're interested. I sent you a PM.
 
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