BOSS GT-6 Guitar Effects Processor

Jim Bybee

Guitar fads come and go, but very few become standards. This is most evident in the fact that 95-percent of all solidbody electric guitars on the market today are simply variations on three landmark instruments that were developed nearly half a century ago. Similarly, BOSS, which recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary, has long been the standard-bearer in the field of high-quality floor-based effects for electric guitarists. Because of their exceptional sound quality and tank-like durability, BOSS pedals have become indispensable for thousands of guitarists. So much so, in fact, that five BOSS pedals—the DS-1 Distortion, BF-2 Flanger, SD-1 Overdrive, GE-7 Graphic Equalizer, and OC-2 Octave—have remained in the product line, unchanged for over twenty years! With the introduction of the ME-5 Guitar Multiple Effects in the mid-eighties, BOSS introduced the guitar playing world to a whole new concept—the floor-based multi-effects unit. And it’s no surprise that BOSS has redefined the standard with its newest offering—the GT-6 Guitar Effects Processor.

The New Gold Standard
Dressed in a striking gold chassis, the GT-6 is the most powerful floor-based guitar processor that BOSS has ever produced. At the heart of the GT-6 is an advanced COSM engine (see Square One sidebar) that takes digital modeling to levels unattained on previous BOSS units. There are 30 classic amplifier and speaker models, including many new models making their first appearance in a BOSS product. These run the gamut from clean JC’s and crunchy tweeds to roaring Rectifiers and screaming British stacks. In addition, you’ll find Overdrive/ Distortion Modeling—featuring models of 15 classic overdrive and distortion pedals covering eras from the ‘60s to the ‘80s—and COSM Wah Modeling, offering five types of wah from vintage to modern. Plus, you can even use the Customize feature to build your own amp and speaker models, along with distortion and wah pedals. By combining all this with a whole host of superb multi-effects, stellar 24-bit sound quality, and extensive reatime control, the GT-6 is an absolute powerhouse. Ready for the grand tour?

View From Above
The first thing you notice about the new GT-6 is that it’s built like a rock. Weighing over 10 pounds, it’s sure to survive the rowdiest of gigging abuse. The next thing you notice is that the GT-6 features knobs—lots of knobs. 15, in fact. These give you direct realtime control over Preamp, Speaker, and Overdrive/ Distortion models, as well as quick adjustments for Delay, Chorus, Reverb and overall Patch Level. For foot control, you’ll find two Bank Select and four Patch Select switches for access to the 200 Preset and 140 User patches, as well as a dedicated control footswitch (assignable per patch). And in the interest of sturdiness, the onboard expression pedal features all-metal construction for years of trouble-free wah-ing, and a chrome kickplate inhibits you from booting those handy knobs into the front row (where they wouldn’t be quite so handy any longer).

The Ins and Outs
On the GT-6 rear panel, you’ll find connections for every occasion. Next to the ubiquitous 1/4-inch input jack, there are stereo output jacks complete with output level control (knob number 16). Next to this is a headphone jack, then send and return connections for patching in that favorite old stompbox you just can’t live without.

A 24-bit coaxial digital output is provided for connecting digitally to a Roland or BOSS digital recorder or any device that supports the S/P DIF digital interface standard. For additional foot control, there’s a special “sub” input for connecting an EV-5 expression pedal or two FS-5U footswitches (optional). MIDI In and Out connectors and a Power On/Off switch round out the connection complement.

Let’s Talk Effects
The GT-6 is crammed full with just about every effect that BOSS has ever produced, and then some. Of course there are the old standbys like delay (up to 1820 milliseconds), chorus (mono and stereo) and reverb (5 types). And there’s traditional stompbox fare such as compressor, phaser, flanger, etc. But you’ll also find unique effects such as Slicer, Ring Modulator and Slow Gear, and super-fun effects like Pedal Bend (foot controlled pitch bend with a four octave range—wow!) and Auto Riff. Feedback Modeling (first introduced on the ME-33) is also provided here, allowing for controlled, musical feedback at any volume. And there are even effects especially suited for acoustic/electric guitars, such as Anti-Feedback (to stop the bad kind of feedback) and 2×2 Chorus. Finally, there are two effects that make their debut on the GT-6: Uni-V, which provides phase shifting/vibrato effects (think Jimi), and the De-Fretter, which engages a variable attack control for a very unique “fretless” guitar effect.

Programming 1-2-3
A common complaint from users of multi-effects units is that they are difficult to program, due to menu-driven interfaces that require you to scroll through multiple parameters just to make minor adjustments to a patch. Not so with the GT-6. With its knob-based interface, tweaking your tone on the fly is as easy as making adjustments to a vintage amplifier. Seven knobs are dedicated to the Preamp/ Speaker section, providing direct access to COSM amp and speaker selection, as well as preamp gain, bass, middle, treble and level. Another three knobs provide access to the COSM Overdrive/ Distortion section, with four more dedicated to the Delay, Chorus and Reverb sections. Multi-function buttons act as on/off switches for particular effects, as well as providing access to Tone Variations and Quick Settings (effect presets). They also act as your gateway to many of the “under-the-hood” settings available for advanced tweaking. For even faster patch creation, the GT-6 offers 30 different “EZ Tones.” These are pre-configured patches that represent a variety of great-sounding clean, crunch, overdrive and lead tones that can be used as is, or as convenient starting points for further customization. There is also a handy Output Select feature, which quickly configures the GT-6 for use with any desired amplification setup—be it combo amp, stack, power amp, or mixing board—for direct recording.

You Want Tone, It’ll Give You Tone
Regardless of the feature set, the bottom line is tone. To cut to the chase, the GT-6 sounds good, real good. The modeled amps feel and sound natural. The stacks really shred, the blues tones are crunchy, the lead sounds have a natural compression and good sustain, and the modeled pedals add another new toolkit of distortions and overdrives. Then when you add the effects, you have a real tone monster machine.

Make Mine “To Go”
With its awesome selection of COSM models, classic BOSS effects, and superb sound quality, the GT-6 is a true guitar processing masterpiece. And the user interface brings multi-effects programming back into a territory most familiar to guitarists—knob control. Go take one for a test drive. I’m sure that in the GT-6 Guitar Effects Processor, you’ll find that BOSS has created yet another enduring classic.

Jim Bybee is a Product Specialist for Roland Corporation U.S. by day, and a freelance guitarist/composer/producer/audio engineer by night. Currently, he is trying to add at least six hours of sleep to his list of daily accomplishments.

Square One
Ten Reasons to Love COSM
Composite Object Sound Modeling (COSM) is the technology developed by Roland and BOSS to produce digital recreations of some of the most popular amps, pedals, and (in the case of the VG-8 / VG-88 / VGA-7) guitars ever made. Here are the Top 10 Reasons that COSM makes guitarists’ lives a little bit easier.

1. No tubes to wear out.
2. A GT-6 weighs a lot less than a full stack, and you get 10 more amps.
3. You can switch to a completely different guitar rig with the touch of a button.
4. Your neighbors won’t call the cops on you when you want to record guitar tracks at 3am.
5. You don’t need to hire a recording engineer to help you record guitar tracks at 3pm.
6. The money you save on a smaller car means more money to buy gear.
7. You don’t have to carry an acoustic guitar to the gig just to strum G — C — D on two tunes.
8. You won’t freak out if someone spills beer on your GT-6 rig… well, maybe not too much.
9. When the singer comes to the gig and says, “We need to drop all the songs down a half step,” you can politely reply, “No problem.”
10. You can carry 30 amps, 15 stompboxes, and five wah pedals under one arm.

Buy a Boss GT-6 today!