Real amps vs modelling and plugin amps

[YnJ]

There are a few drawbacks with the ME-90

1. The display only shows you preset number. I'd prefer to see a full patch name.
2. You don't have any more than 3 controls for a given effect.
3. There are a lot of hidden effects that you need to use the Boss Tone Studio to access.

I don't think I'll get the ME-90, I found it interesting for a while, I have gone a tad off multieffects now, it seems most multieffects makes compromises you don't get in single effect units. At best they do a couple of effects really well, and the rest is mediocre. I haven't tried the most high end multieffects, they are expensive though

[CapnLockheed]

Which is why the Boss GS-10 is one of my favs. It's editor was way ahead of it's time....like having a real pedalboard to tweak the effects. and having a built in USB audio interface, built in amp & speakers AND a SPDIF out all make it, IMHO, a true Swiss Army knife on stage and studio. Mine recently got destroyed in a flood. I immediately bought a replacement on fleabay.

[Uncle E]

Anyway, the OD-200 has twelve drives compared to the seven drives on the GX-700, and it seems there is very little overlapping, so I still find it interesting.

I guess what I meant is that most of the sounds I heard from the OD-200 sound like classic Boss pedals, and from your description, it sounds like the GX-700 also sounds like classic Boss pedals.

I was thinking I should get some proper quality effects btw, and the 200-series looks interesting. I was thinking of getting the MD-200. I'm a bit reserved when it comes to Boss reverbs and delays though, not questioning their quality, the digital reverb and delay pedals sound a tad too clean to me. I prefer the reverbs and delays on my TC Electronic to any of the Boss units I have, they sound warmer and more lush. I have the Hotone convolution reverb on order, so I might not need another reverb. Have you tried the RV-200 and the DD-200 though? I have no options to try them locally

I love the 200 series. The DD-200 particularly has some cool tricks, my favorites being the pad echo and the attack control on the standard delay. However, if you're worried about them sounding too clean, you might want to check out the Universal Audio Del-Verb. Its tape and analog delays get dirty.

[YnJ]

I guess what I meant is that most of the sounds I heard from the OD-200 sound like classic Boss pedals, and from your description, it sounds like the GX-700 also sounds like classic Boss pedals

It has the circutry from OD-1, BD-2, OD-2, DS-1, DS-2, a fuzz which I'm not sure about, and something called Metal. I think it's the XT-2 Xtortion with tone controls instead of the contour and punch controls, which was released the same year as the GX-700. Hardly a classic, still better than a Metal Zone or an HM-2. All the drives have the same two tone controls, so I guess they share them

There are only three pedals in the OD-200 overlapping with the GX-700, and another two overlapping with pedals I have. I read a comprehensive review which made it clear that the OD-200 pedals, while sounding like the equivalent analogue pedals, didn't respond in the same way. I have also wathced a couple of youtube videos from some of the more serious youtubers, and I can't say I was that impressed. You get a massive palette of drives, combinations and tweeking. While sounding good, judging from the videos it doesn't really sound quite right, it still have that unmistakeable digital quality to it. Whether that bothers you or not is personal taste I guess, if not I'll say go and get it. It bothers me though

I love the 200 series. The DD-200 particularly has some cool tricks, my favorites being the pad echo and the attack control on the standard delay. However, if you're worried about them sounding too clean, you might want to check out the Universal Audio Del-Verb. Its tape and analog delays get dirty

I saw a demo of the DD-200 as well, and it definitely sounds great. The youtuber didn't really dive as much into the settings I would have liked to hear more of though, different taste in delays than me I guess. It's not completely off the table, I need to find some demos which goes more into all the settings first. I'll check out the Del-Verb, awful colour combination btw, and the analogue Starlight Echo Station and analogue Boss DM-101 Delay Machine which caught my attention as well

[Uncle E]

The Boss DM-101 is excellent. The delay in the Del-Verb is identical to the Starlight, the only things you lose are the presets and the divisions knob (which can be set in the app). The DD-200 doesn't get as dirty as any of these.

[guitarzan]

Another Boss unit that had analog drive and digital multi-fx was the SE-70 half rack size unit.

I bought one when I was using the half rack Hughes & Kettner amps—I was on a half rack kick and had the Rockman Stereo Echo (still have it, best analog delay ever IMO) and wanted to have a half rack reverb and all the rest, but I ended up using a single rack space Peavey Valverb for tremolo and reverb and kept individual drive pedals on the floor (wah pedal in front).

I kept the SE-70 just because, while it didn’t really work out for my intended use, it was one of the all time great ‘do everything’ in a box solutions up to that point and still seemed like it could be useful. It was retained to do ‘everything else’, while I primarily stuck with all analog for the core tones.

I never really ended up using the SE-70 much and I haven’t dug it out in years, but I never could bring myself to move it on, so it must’ve impressed me somehow.

EDIT: I was always under the impression that the Roland GP-8 was sort of the pinnacle of the early analog/digital hybrid ‘Boss’ stuff, but I never tried one. It was still on my watch lists at a lowball price point fairly recently, but I see it’s not anymore and they are going super cheap, so I think I’m going to it put back on the lists again!

…Doing some refresher reading…
seems the GP-8 is great for the MIDI controlled analog front end (analog dynamic filter, drives, compressor, and phaser). Seems like the digital delay would probably be good too though, in an 1980’s Boss way, but there seems to be mixed feelings about the digital chorus (probably a bit too ‘hair band’ for some). The best news is the digital section has analog dry through, and the analog front end has its own output send before any a/d conversion, then the digital section has the return — so you can do the four cable method. Pretty cool for 1987 or whatever.

…Good gearspace thread on the GP-8:
https://gearspace.com/board/so-many-gui ... p-8-a.html

[Naillerz78]

There are a few drawbacks with the ME-90

1. The display only shows you preset number. I'd prefer to see a full patch name.
2. You don't have any more than 3 controls for a given effect.
3. There are a lot of hidden effects that you need to use the Boss Tone Studio to access.

I don't think I'll get the ME-90, I found it interesting for a while, I have gone a tad off multieffects now, it seems most multieffects makes compromises you don't get in single effect units. At best they do a couple of effects really well, and the rest is mediocre. I haven't tried the most high end multieffects, they are expensive though

This is a fair assessment. From my googling the highest rated digital OD/ distortion was a Strymon pedal. And that goes for big money.

Something older that piqued my interest back in the day was a Digitech RP1000 floorboard. It had options to run analogue drives with its Fx loop or some such. They ought to be cheap now.

[Uncle E]

From my googling the highest rated digital OD/ distortion was a Strymon pedal.

Strymon Iridium? You'd hate it.

[guitarzan]

From my googling the highest rated digital OD/ distortion was a Strymon pedal.

Strymon Iridium? You'd hate it.

For a while there was a lot of positive buzz about the Source Audio LA Lady Overdrive and King Maker Fuzz pedals, even amongst some ardent analog users. They are basically the same pedal except for the graphics and factory loaded effects, so you can download and install any or all the effects that are factory installed on one to the other, mix and match.

[Uncle E]

Those might be good. The Iridium has all the harsh edges you guys hate.

[guitarzan]

[Uncle E]

Can it load the True Spring? To me, that beats the Strymon Flint.

[stoopicus]

My favorite pedal reverb, even to this day, is the Boss RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay. Not the current model, the old RV-3 only.

It’s this great ‘80s sounding ice cold digital reverb that most of you would hate but its combo of cold, non-shimmery reverb and various delay and combo modes is so damn cool.

[guitarzan]

Can it load the True Spring? To me, that beats the Strymon Flint.

No, but I’ve wanted a True Spring pedal too.

I have a CB Topanga and that serves me well, probably better than the True Spring for most of what I want to do since it has the analog jfet rendering of the original outboard Fender reverb preamp circuit, but I still want a True Spring.

Maybe both, Topanga upfront for the analog EQ boost and the great reverb for normal stuff and True Spring later in the chain to kick in for drippy surf/spy/spaghetti western stuff if I want to go there.

One went for like $100 on Reverb recently — sold while I was trying to check out. I hate that.

But I think what I really want is a surfybear. Insane since I still have the Peavey Valverb, but rack stuff is kind of a pain to mix and match with pedals, especially just one unit. Maybe if I got a cool tweed covered 1u case for it and put it on top of an amp…

Still, the Valverb is great but it’s not especially Fender outboard sounding, where the SurfyBear really nails it. Topanga into Valverb… I bet that would work. No way to power it from an isolated DC supply or powerbank though, and that’s important when you live with very noisy unshielded house wiring. Unwieldy too.

Hmmm… rack up the H&K Bass Master, the Rockman Stereo Echo, and the Peavey Valverb… a lot of pure analog tone in there for a 2u rack. But then I need extreme power conditioning, always have access to mains power… everything is always such a hassle!

[YnJ]

EDIT: I was always under the impression that the Roland GP-8 was sort of the pinnacle of the early analog/digital hybrid ‘Boss’ stuff, but I never tried one. It was still on my watch lists at a lowball price point fairly recently, but I see it’s not anymore and they are going super cheap, so I think I’m going to it put back on the lists again!

The other guitarist in the metal band I was in in the late 80s had a GP-8. I thought it sounded awful, it might have been the way he tweaked it though. I had a GP-16 myself at a later point, which I thought was a lot better. Again, I don't know if there was much difference apart from the processing power, you might want to consider that instead though. I sold it and got a Rocktron Chameleon with a solid state preamp and analogue gain, and digital effects, which was a huge step in sound quality. I still have the Rocktron, it still sounds good for what it is. Now that I actually have some basic knowledge on how to use a parametric EQ I've managed to make it sound better as well. It has two very effective two band parametric EQs, pre- and postgain, as well as the usual tone controls. I used to use an HM-2 as a booster to give it more mid and low end, some might say that's the only thing the HM-2 is good for. They would be right of course