I have one of these,im just an old guy that mainly plays in the bedroom , but for me its perfect. I can do so much with it , and could easily gig with it. great product , great value.
Just reading a few of your comments here - glad you like the pedal! Anyway... Yes you can put this through a PA (it has speaker emulation), yes it has a tuner built in, no I don't think the 4 cable method will work as the ME80 has no FX loop, and yes I agree - all the new Chapmans look badass!!
chris burns It's when you put an amp in the effects loop of a multi effects unit, so that you can have your overdrives and distortions in front of the amplifier, and your modulations, delays, and reverbs are behind it - it puts the amp into the multi-effects signal path
chris burns The 4 cable method allows you to essentially put your "physical amp" (eg. Marshall DSL which has a good gain sound you wanna preserve) into the chain where the "amp modeling" goes. This allows you to do 2 things. Firstly you can use the delays and reverbs in the unit and yet still gun gain on your amp without the sound getting noisy, similar to placing the delay and reverb in the fx loop of your amp. Secondly it is possible, at least on the POD HD series to create a patch where the entire gain section of your amp is bypassed making it such that your sound is simply your fx unit (using your COSM amp model) into the speaker of your amp. This way you don't have the coloration of the amp's original sound. Hope this helps d: I'm sure there is a better explanation out there though ... involving pre amps and power amps .... this is just my layman understanding of it.
chris burns If you plan to use the gain on your amp and yet use the delays and reverbs you definitely want to use the 4 cable method alternatively you could place the FX unit in the fx loop of your amp (provided you're only using it for delays and reverbs). Placing delay and reverb infront of Gain is Very very noisy
I bought this about a month ago and it's one of my favorite, least regrettable guitar purchases. First off, Lee said the batteries probably wouldn't last long, but I put Energizer batteries in it, and they're still working a month later. I'm amazed at just much bang I get for my buck. A lot of devices that offer lots of amp sims and effects are pretty mediocre sounding, but the ME-80 sounds great. It's basically every Boss pedal ever and a Boss Katana all on one pedal board for only $300. Pedals are great and all, but they can be a real pain to move around. I just wish I had found this before spending money on lots of pedals.
The main benefit Ive discovered from my first multi effects pedal, is the ability to call up certain sounds. Switching between sounds is so much easier than individually adjusting each pedal to get a sound you have in mind.
Lee, When I hear you play, it inspires me and shows me that I can get to be a respectable player. When I first started exploring guitar and started watching your channel, i can remember you lacked confidence and played very basic stuff. You have gotten really good and I really enjoy listening to your playing now. I’ve got hope that someday I’ll get there as well. I can play acoustic fingerstyle ok but I’m not there with a pick and especially on an electric guitar. But I will get there. Thanks for inspiration.
I use the me80 only for FX through my amp's FX loop. Aside from the distortions, the sound quality on this device is actually quite good. There's some FX that aren't so great, but overall, it's a fantastic piece of gear, and there's a lot you can do with it. The delays, looper, and volume pedal alone justify the price. I know what I'm talking about, because I've owned several top end individual pedals. Btw, If you look up the reviews on this, you'll see that 95% of people who own it say the same thing.
The distortions aren't that good in your opinion? What's wrong with them specifically? I was hoping that it would have the standard Boss distortion/OD pedal sounds emulated... Hm... I need a good distortion lol
Ah, very good catch by Rob at 4:50. The ME-80 unit has "trails." One of its competitors, the Zoom G5, which is very good in many respects, does NOT do this.
I've got the ME-70. Has it for about 4 years now and it is literally the best multi fx I've ever used. Don't think it ever change it unless it completely broke
I've been playing the Boss Me-80 for about a year. I play a wide variety of stuff, but mostly blues. I went from using analog pedals with a tube amp to using the ME-80 with a solid state (for convenience reasons). The switch had me dissapointed in some regards at first as digital obviously does not respond to your playing the way analog does. But after adjusting my approach, it worked out great. It sounds very good. I do find myself constantly tinkering to try it make it sound more like an analog rig - which is never going to happen. Regardless it is really good. But I have 4 complaints. 1. I went from used a hall of fame2 reverb pedal before this and with the ME80, I am disappointed with the lack of control on reverb. It is pretty vanilla with one knob for reverb. I think they should treat reverb like a real effect and not an afterthought. Give me controls for reverb tone, level and decay, and some more reverb types. 2. The ME-80 has a built in cabinet simulator and it sounds much better when it is on than when it is off. The only way to turn it on is by plugging something into the headphone jack. This is just dumb. They should at least have a switch in the Tonestudio software or menus. When I gig, I plug the ME80 straight into the PA (no amp) and have to put a dummy plug in the headphone jack to turn on the cab-sim. They should just include the Cab and Air-feel options that are on the Katana. 3. I hope that they can improve on the overdrive section. It's not bad, it's just underwhelming compared to the other effects. The drive that comes out of the gain on the amp models is Soo much better than what is in the drive section. Then issue is that the amp drive reacts to your playing much better, while the drives don't react at all, so they sound fake. 4. Not so much a complaint, but I would love if they can replace the current EQ section with a 10band graphic eq. I've never found myself having to use FX3. I only use EQ and would love to have better control of the frequencies.
hey I’ve got a question , do you know if you can re-arrange the chain sequence of the pedals and if so how? I’ve got the ME-80 PC software and on that when I load up patches sometimes the sequence is in a different order. This is causing me issues as a pedal sequence patch will sound different depending on which one I choose , and sometimes the placement where a pedal should be in thechain is the wrong place
@@whateveryoutubr6578 You cannot. that's not possible, every individual effect is in a specific order. So I'm not sure what you are seeing with patches. I've never seen it stray from it's order.
@@stephenlennartz3466 I've plugged it into an interface and I've also used the USB connection. USB connection works great for recording. If you are using it live into a PA or recording, just make sure you PLUG SOMETHING IN THE HEADPHONE JACK. Even if you are using the 1/4 in output. The Cab simulation won't turn on unless you stick a plug into the headphone jack. It's the most stupid feature. I can't believe they don't just have a switch for it. But it'll make you DI sound so much better.
this pedal is fucking amazing! I just recorded several demos for my band running everything except vocals and drums through this pedal(2 guitars 1 bass), it sounds fucking badass! easy to use, and incredible versatility. Not the best for more heavy stuff :/ you can get a decent distortion out of this, but not if you need a pedal for death or black metal etc. incredible 4/5!
“Megatron’s Foot”, sounds almost instantaneously like the name for a killer 80s retro band that was a homogeneous everything excellent about the decade from Tears for Fears to Def Leppard to Journey to Enya to Prince to Tina Turner to Lionel Richie to Kraftwerk - and everything in between! This demo has got me so tempted to try trading in my Line 6 Pod HD 500 for one of these. I have hitherto scarcely used the Pod and would think that this particular paddleboard would be much more user-friendly. In addition, it is battery powered.
I have this and it is way more that meets the eye. It takes time to go all the features but it is the best thing if you just want to plug and play! Very very nice sounds and all of the them are for real use and not just.....
It is a good machine yes. You have to pay 1k in order to go neural quad cortex and find really better sound and kind of tube articulation in need but it is 3ple the money.
@@tns4421 Thanks for the reply. Nothing else in this budget range? - what about the Zoom G5n. Am asking mainly because I can’t demo these pedals where I live. Will have to buy it blind.
@@accentontheoff No...boss is like a toyota in cars...no fancy but industry standard...digitech, zoom, nux, mooer you name it...around same fine quality. High and mighty in $$ is fractal, avid, neural, kemper but they are computers with chipsets and then buy a motu for yor pc and save money...
@@tns4421 Yes that’s a refreshingly clear perspective. I guess at a certain price point they’re all more or less the same. Next level would probably be the GT100. Then the level above that would be the ones you mentioned. Didn’t understand the point about the Motu though. Thanks for the reply.
What review do you guys not have! You guys are so freeeking awesome!!!! I watch your channel all the time. I find myself looking at your videos 99% of the time that im on youtube lol! You guys are awesome!!! Very fun to watch and very educational.
I bought one of these to use with my Blackstar HT-5, as I am the proverbial bedroom player. I wasn't quite happy with the preamp sounds I was getting, but traced this to a design quirk with the ME80. The internal amp simulator is only turned on with headphones, or a plug inserted into the rec out/phones socket. Solution: get a 1/4 inch to 2.5mm adaptor plug, connect to one end of your guitar lead, put this in the rec out/phones socket, then plug the other end into the return of the fx loop of your amp, if it has one. Result: much better tone. I've not tried running into the front of my amp so can't comment on what the sound is like but the preamp of a valve amp will colour the tone of the preamps on the ME80. I suspect a solid state amp will not have these problems but I traded my Peavey Vypyr 15 in for this, so again, can't confirm that.
Thank you, Rob and Lee. This helped me decide on the ME-80 over spending the extra money on the GT-100. The only thing that kept me wavering was the ability to hook the GT-100 up with a four cable method to put the compression, noise gate and etc. before the preamp on my Blackstar HT-40, use the amps natural overdrive and that awesome Blackstar clean tone my tubes give me, then use the modulation type effects through the effects loop after the pre-amp. I have the limited edition of the HT-40, with the Celestion Vintage 30 in it, and I love my amps tone. What I would really like to do most of the time is use this unit with the amp modeling off through the effects loop of my amp. By that, I mean plugging my guitar straight into the input of my amp, running the effects send from the back of the amp into the input of the unit, then running the output of the unit into the effects return on the back of my amp. However, I don't know much of anything about signal strengths of any of this, and I don't want to damage either the unit or my amp. Will this work in that configuration? Also, if I want to use the amp modeling of the ME-80, can I plug the guitar into the ME-80 and the output directly into the effects return on the back of my amp so that my amps preamp section does not color the modeled sounds? Thank you for any help you can give me with this. I've searched all over but have been unable to find a video or discussion on the subject.
These ME systems can also be played into most home entertainment systems via aux out. I get awesome stereo modulation from my old ME-50 compared to my amp. Great fun at home!
I just bought a ME-70 off Ebay for $150 U.S. ,and I love it. It is a bit out dated, but a huge upgrade from my ME-33 ! I am loving it! Still trying to figure out how to properly utilize all the features. Funny ,as I was just in a Sam Ash ,like a month ago ,and they still had the ME-70 on the floor for $300. So I am pumped to have it ,even though the 80 is out.
Actually, we have some pretty cheap pedals here in the States - the Danelectro FAB pedals run $15 each ($25 for fuzz and delay) and you can get a lot of great sounds from it, so making a big pedalboard is super easy and affordable. :) I honestly love them.
Shame on boss...I hate it when companies sell the power supply separately....dunlop do the same with their cry baby pedals and that annoyed me no end. They know you're going to need it if you're gigging...you can't rely on a battery....just include the power supply
***** well I want power supplies with all my pedals...any that I don't use go in a box in the cupboard ..batteries are a nuisance and expensive...when I buy a pedal I want the power supply..to me Boss selling a pedal without a power supply is no different to samsung selling a TV without a plug or Morphy Richards selling a kettle without the lead...you wouldn't accept that so why accept the pedal without a power supply?
Michael Barnes Most people tend to have a multi-out power supply so they just run new pedals through that. I guess it's not profitable to include power supplies when that audience is taken into account.
Michael Barnes You can daisy chain all of your 9 volt effects from a single cheap power supply. No need to get each effect their own PS or an expensive power supply like pedal power or fuel tank.
Mikko Kaipainen yeah, I'm aware of these things, all I'm saying is that I think the power supply should always be supplied with the product, whether you use it or not is up to you but at least if it's supplied then you have options....I have plenty of kettle leads but if I buy a new kettle I expect to get a new power lead haha
i bought it for travel and those gigs that room is a factor..i have a massive pedal board that ill still use. great little board thanks for the great video
I still have an old boss ME 33 from the late 90's and it still works and still has all but one knob. the distortions and amp models never did sound very good but all the other functions we're not bad, if you frig with it you can get some usable tones out of the tube distortion and the Blues distortion but they're not great. but at least they're very reliable I've had mine for over 10 years thrown in the bottom of vans and cars, and it still works.
I like your Demo! I have an ME-70 but it's on my Gator G Tour Concert/Big stage pedal board and when I'm not on those stages and playing at a club the whole rig tends to be a bit much.So I decided to get the ME-80 and use it in smaller venue's.One unit in a carrying bag same great sounds without the big bulky road rig I use.The ME-80 seems to have every thing I need for the R&B Oldies shows I do I'll just program and save the same sounds in it/also save the sounds in my computer on the new software that comes with the ME-80 (couldn't do that on the ME-70) I had the ME-6 for 19 years on the road and clubs, bought the ME-70 5 years ago this November and now the ME-80. I guess you can say I'm a boss man.I use Line6 amps but not the pedals. Sema'j
Thx for the excellent demo. A very common mistake with the ME-70 is driving too much overdrive/distortion "gain" through a good tube amp... i.e., less is more. With my amps, I usually find the gain sweet spot around the 9-10 o'clock position. Ordering the ME-80 tomorrow.
I own an me 50 and have been reduced to running it in manual mode due to the short silence or interuption in sound when switching presets in program mode (more then a little annoying) I really wished you guys had demoed switching presets in program mode to know this multi has seamless transitions from one preset to another.
A Friend of mine has asked if I would be interested in going abroad to play in a duo playing covers. I've been looking into pedals etc for a few weeks and this seems like it could do the job.
Best of luck and have fun if you go abroad. This multi-effect pedal is an amazing value, couldn’t ask for more at its price point. I am very pleased with mine.
I'm torn between this (ME80) ... and going with the Strymon Iridium with my existing collection of pedals. I never would have considered the ME80 ... but I recently saw a phenomenal guitarist/vocalist with backing tracks using one of these at a winery and he killed it! GREAT sound direct to the board. No amp to haul around. Hmmmm. Decisions.
I use a Boss ME/50B bass processor every weekend,which covers everything i can ever use for bass tones..Boss make bulletproof gear but the "pedal snobs" always give them shit,even though they were once "top shelf." A funky paint job,mini toggles,& a hard bypass don't a great pedal make!
I am very unhappy with this me-80 pedal hard to set different sounds. Rather just use the build in effects on my 100W Fender Champion amp.Very disappointed, Will go back to just using crybaby and distortion pedal.
Just got mine. Considering the price this is a very decent piece of equipment. I only play every once in awhile when I have time as a pastime. I got it on sale at Guitar Center for $250 bucks and it definitely is a huge upgrade from my old Zoom G2.1u that I payed $200 for about 12 years ago. Hey it's a Boss, made by Roland so I think it's the best bang for your buck unless you're a pro and want to spend several thousands on an Eventide.
Wow Boss have really outdone themselves here! Ofcourse there's the matter wether you like the distortions and if it tonesucks your amp. Really depending on the gear and ear you have. But that asides, doubling up the pedals like this is brilliant. And the possibility to have a volume and wah pedal, an eq to either midboost or scoop (my choice, works brilliant as a go to for clean and more 'metally' parts) depending on your taste and a boost and a drive pedal and reverb and delay and a modulation of choice under your foot not counting the tuner and the possibility to vary all of the above by selecting a new preset..........under 250. Who cannot applaude? Depending on the tonesuck adding a decent amplifier and/or a good additional drivepedal is gonna provide more than 95% of guitarist will ever need gigging.
I freaking love this pedal!! I've had it for about a yr!! And I may understand 20% of it you got to be like a sound engineer lol !! It's so awesome tho!!
Great job guys!! Thanks for this video looking to buy this pedal, love the sounds in it. Oh hey Rob Ill take that tele double humbuckers guitar on the wall behind you please lol!!
I dont really hear the difference between multis or pedals, I personally think they are the same. Probably the pros for pedals are you can tweak it faster than multis, let me know what you think :)
1. the standard pedal normally has more options to dial up. take the mt-2 dist pedal for example. the standalone pedal has two options to tweak the mids out of the sound. the ME boards (25, 50, 70, 80) cant do that. overall the sound of the standalone will be slightly better bcs it focuses on one thing 2. the OD/DT Pedal. On that one you can choose which gain effect you want. more dist or more OD.... it lets you tweak between these two and even find a good in between sound. The ME boards wont let you do that. OD or Dist! but not both
I have the the ME-70 and it has never let me down on a gig and is really impressive with sound quality( not sounding digital at all) and ease of use but... it could have been much better if they spent more time playing with it . The ME-80 solves most of the ME-70's flaws like separating the pre-amps from the EQ section and also being able to add 2 mods on one patch. Personally I would have wanted the Phrase looper to be on a separate section(both ME-70 and 80) because you still can't use other delay effects (except for the standard one) with the looper and that just sucks if you want to be experimental. And because of its position in the delay section the reverb affects your recorded loop so you can't have 2 different reverbs in the looper at the same time(Reverb is wired after the delay section in ME70) But overall it is still one of the best multi fx pedals I have played on.
I've had the thing almost 2 years. I've practiced, gigged and recorded with it into Amps and PA's. I LOVE the hands-on control without any screens or scrolling. This sets it above everything else out there. But I do have a few complaints, so I just can't wait for the ME-90. I'd love to see it take the power of the GT-1000 into the control of this. 1. The dumbest thing ever is that there IS a cab-sim, but it will only turn on by plugging something into the headphone jack. So the first time I played live by plugging direct to a PA from the 1/4 inch jack I noticed my tone sucked. Then I found this out. So I actually have a nub cut off from an old pair of ear buds that I can stick in the headphone jack to turn on the cab-sim. This is silly. They should just have a button or switch for this. 2. The distortions aren't great. Everything else is nearly perfect, but those drive pedals just don't behave like the real things or sound as dynamic and deep as the real things. The drives that are in the Amp models are way more real. 3. I'd like to see them update the processors and effects to run at a 97k sample rate, like the GT-1000. I think this extra head-room will allow the ME-80 to better capture and manipulate the dynamics of your playing to create more realistic distortion and amps. It may also help it sound thicker and richer; I've played with this thing live alongside someone with a real tube amp (they had an AC10 and I used the AC model), and my tone just had less depth and thickness than theirs. 4. I think it'd be really cool to actually put a 7-10 band graphic EQ on here. I NEVER use the EQ section as a second FX section because I think the EQ is more important. I would love if I could be a little more nuanced in my control though. I think this would especially help with shaping your high-highs and low-lows, because the 3 bands essentially only effect the Low-mids, mids and high-mids. 5. MORE inputs-outputs. There's just a guitar-in, Aux-in (for backing tracks), headphone-out and L/R 1/4in outs. I'd like to see an XLR out, and maybe a send/return to do the 4 cable method. I'd also like for them to incorporate the technology from the GT-1000 that shapes the dynamics based on whether you are plugging into a real amp or a PA. 6. Maybe put in a more comprehensive looper? Allow people to control a longer loop. And maybe there can be some way of accessing a loop mode where your first 3 pedals can become controls to record multiple sections. Basically put the power of the Boss RC-300 into this thin? OR.. At the very least, add an option to the expression pedal that allows it to control the volume of the Loop.
You can adjust it very nicely with an amp if you turn down the gain on the pedal and turn it up on the amp instead. Add a bit of mids, treble on about 6 or 7
Paper bag sounding in every boss multi effects unit I have owned since they came out very digital delays and chorus always sound decent. The single unit effects pedals especially distortion usually are of much better sound than the multi effects processers I just bought an me eighty thinking they might have improved but no still very unusable distortion horrible a big let down boss is still one of my go to pedals
I use my ME-70 quite a bit. No problems with it and I don't see a real compelling reason to step up to the ME-80. I like the freeze effect though but I can always get an EH freeze pedal for that. As far as the power supply, I use an affordable One Spot which also has a small footprint.
@@joshflugel Nope - still no such thing as an ME-80B, and Boss still don't make bass versions of any multieffects units except for their cheapest model. Still leaving us out in the cold....
I had a gt8 and me 50, but prefer distortion sounds from Digitech. Sounds more natural to my ears. Their new chip is the DNA2. I got a great deal on the me50, so just with the reverbs, pedal for vol., chorus, and delay it was totally worth it.
Great info. I truly enjoy your prodect demo/reviews. Could you guys do a Multi-effects pedals shootout between Boss, Digitech, Zoom, Fender and Line 6. These companies all have product in the 300 dollar price point. I have been thinking of getting one and am having so much trouble deciding. Things I would be interested in are build, versatility, and sound quality for recording and live performances.
If Boss would be so nice and made new version of this thing. You know... something like floor preamp version of Boss Katana with this kind of knob-based controls and of course USB connection to delve deeper if needed. For us, who buy their GT-1000s and Line6 Helixes and use it for like 4 or 5 sounds
Hi there! A question abt the WAH effect. Is the T-WAH automatic as it should be (as long as T stands for "touch") or not? In fact at 3:20 it is clear that you are operating the expression pedal by hand to get the WAH effect. Can you explain? Maybe both, automatic and manual? Please answer if you can, since I can't find this answer anywhere... thanks a lot!
The ME 70 had automatic Toe Up / Down Wah options in the Compression pedal Box and a Foot Controller controlled Wah on the pedal. The ME 80 will probably have the same. And there is a peda controlled Whammy now ....
It's so refreshing to see great guitarists who don't act like hardasses
Although they do need the man flu lozenges to protect their manhood from those normal womanly lozenges
..or hairdressers😂
I have one of these,im just an old guy that mainly plays in the bedroom , but for me its perfect. I can do so much with it , and could easily gig with it. great product , great value.
Just reading a few of your comments here - glad you like the pedal! Anyway...
Yes you can put this through a PA (it has speaker emulation), yes it has a tuner built in, no I don't think the 4 cable method will work as the ME80 has no FX loop, and yes I agree - all the new Chapmans look badass!!
Out of interest what is the four cable method?
chris burns It's when you put an amp in the effects loop of a multi effects unit, so that you can have your overdrives and distortions in front of the amplifier, and your modulations, delays, and reverbs are behind it - it puts the amp into the multi-effects signal path
chris burns The 4 cable method allows you to essentially put your "physical amp" (eg. Marshall DSL which has a good gain sound you wanna preserve) into the chain where the "amp modeling" goes. This allows you to do 2 things. Firstly you can use the delays and reverbs in the unit and yet still gun gain on your amp without the sound getting noisy, similar to placing the delay and reverb in the fx loop of your amp. Secondly it is possible, at least on the POD HD series to create a patch where the entire gain section of your amp is bypassed making it such that your sound is simply your fx unit (using your COSM amp model) into the speaker of your amp. This way you don't have the coloration of the amp's original sound.
Hope this helps d: I'm sure there is a better explanation out there though ... involving pre amps and power amps .... this is just my layman understanding of it.
Does it sound better that way? i had an me-50 and always just plugged it in through the front lol.
chris burns If you plan to use the gain on your amp and yet use the delays and reverbs you definitely want to use the 4 cable method alternatively you could place the FX unit in the fx loop of your amp (provided you're only using it for delays and reverbs). Placing delay and reverb infront of Gain is Very very noisy
I bought this about a month ago and it's one of my favorite, least regrettable guitar purchases. First off, Lee said the batteries probably wouldn't last long, but I put Energizer batteries in it, and they're still working a month later. I'm amazed at just much bang I get for my buck. A lot of devices that offer lots of amp sims and effects are pretty mediocre sounding, but the ME-80 sounds great. It's basically every Boss pedal ever and a Boss Katana all on one pedal board for only $300. Pedals are great and all, but they can be a real pain to move around. I just wish I had found this before spending money on lots of pedals.
Same here. With pedals its never ending story... + hiss and cables and pedal incompatibility... Thinking about selling complete pedalboard
Are you still thinking the same?
I've got one ,it's crap ,,My old Roland GP 8 blows it away .
Chappers is the guy at rehearsal that doesn't stop playing when you're trying to talk
a drummer in a guitarists body
@@benjamin-papa brilliant 😂😂😂
What????? I can’t hear you. They’re doing it again!Lol
Hi can you explain why my bass knob at eq section do not response, It don't show reading instead it shows double desh
@@subhradas459 you might want to contact boss support for that one
Any chance Rob of doing a blindfold test between this and some boutique pedals?
Really good idea actually!
Rocco Cafolla
I've had an ME-70 for maybe 4 years, now and I've loved it. I ordered this immediately after it was announced.
they really are the top gear of guitar reviews haha
The main benefit Ive discovered from my first multi effects pedal, is the ability to call up certain sounds. Switching between sounds is so much easier than individually adjusting each pedal to get a sound you have in mind.
Lee,
When I hear you play, it inspires me and shows me that I can get to be a respectable player. When I first started exploring guitar and started watching your channel, i can remember you lacked confidence and played very basic stuff.
You have gotten really good and I really enjoy listening to your playing now. I’ve got hope that someday I’ll get there as well.
I can play acoustic fingerstyle ok but I’m not there with a pick and especially on an electric guitar. But I will get there. Thanks for inspiration.
Hi from Germany, i love this ME-80 and my 2 Fender FM 212. The best Sound of the World.
I use the me80 only for FX through my amp's FX loop. Aside from the distortions, the sound quality on this device is actually quite good. There's some FX that aren't so great, but overall, it's a fantastic piece of gear, and there's a lot you can do with it. The delays, looper, and volume pedal alone justify the price. I know what I'm talking about, because I've owned several top end individual pedals. Btw, If you look up the reviews on this, you'll see that 95% of people who own it say the same thing.
The distortions aren't that good in your opinion? What's wrong with them specifically?
I was hoping that it would have the standard Boss distortion/OD pedal sounds emulated... Hm... I need a good distortion lol
I just thought the distortion was too digital sounding. Then again, I don't like any kind of OD/distortion from pedals, except for the Empress Heavy.
m fox all I need to know is will it sound better than the spider IV amps built in distortion
I have found some effects sound better through the loop but others sound better through the front. You can literally spend hours just experimenting.
Ah, very good catch by Rob at 4:50. The ME-80 unit has "trails." One of its competitors, the Zoom G5, which is very good in many respects, does NOT do this.
That wah pedal collaboration was the most musically bromantic thing I have ever seen. Two thumbs up
I've got the ME-70. Has it for about 4 years now and it is literally the best multi fx I've ever used. Don't think it ever change it unless it completely broke
I've been playing the Boss Me-80 for about a year. I play a wide variety of stuff, but mostly blues. I went from using analog pedals with a tube amp to using the ME-80 with a solid state (for convenience reasons). The switch had me dissapointed in some regards at first as digital obviously does not respond to your playing the way analog does. But after adjusting my approach, it worked out great. It sounds very good. I do find myself constantly tinkering to try it make it sound more like an analog rig - which is never going to happen. Regardless it is really good. But I have 4 complaints. 1. I went from used a hall of fame2 reverb pedal before this and with the ME80, I am disappointed with the lack of control on reverb. It is pretty vanilla with one knob for reverb. I think they should treat reverb like a real effect and not an afterthought. Give me controls for reverb tone, level and decay, and some more reverb types. 2. The ME-80 has a built in cabinet simulator and it sounds much better when it is on than when it is off. The only way to turn it on is by plugging something into the headphone jack. This is just dumb. They should at least have a switch in the Tonestudio software or menus. When I gig, I plug the ME80 straight into the PA (no amp) and have to put a dummy plug in the headphone jack to turn on the cab-sim. They should just include the Cab and Air-feel options that are on the Katana. 3. I hope that they can improve on the overdrive section. It's not bad, it's just underwhelming compared to the other effects. The drive that comes out of the gain on the amp models is Soo much better than what is in the drive section. Then issue is that the amp drive reacts to your playing much better, while the drives don't react at all, so they sound fake. 4. Not so much a complaint, but I would love if they can replace the current EQ section with a 10band graphic eq. I've never found myself having to use FX3. I only use EQ and would love to have better control of the frequencies.
Hi Dylan. Great info ... thanks! Are you using a direct box between the ME80 and the board? Any other tips for using this live? Many thanks.
Great info thanks. I was going to trade for one of these but your notes on the reverb have changed my mind.
hey I’ve got a question , do you know if you can re-arrange the chain sequence of the pedals and if so how?
I’ve got the ME-80 PC software and on that when I load up patches sometimes the sequence is in a different order. This is causing me issues as a pedal sequence patch will sound different depending on which one I choose , and sometimes the placement where a pedal should be in thechain is the wrong place
@@whateveryoutubr6578 You cannot. that's not possible, every individual effect is in a specific order. So I'm not sure what you are seeing with patches. I've never seen it stray from it's order.
@@stephenlennartz3466 I've plugged it into an interface and I've also used the USB connection. USB connection works great for recording. If you are using it live into a PA or recording, just make sure you PLUG SOMETHING IN THE HEADPHONE JACK. Even if you are using the 1/4 in output. The Cab simulation won't turn on unless you stick a plug into the headphone jack. It's the most stupid feature. I can't believe they don't just have a switch for it. But it'll make you DI sound so much better.
X~D
Chappers knows those Captain blues so well he can wah for him!
this pedal is fucking amazing! I just recorded several demos for my band running everything except vocals and drums through this pedal(2 guitars 1 bass), it sounds fucking badass! easy to use, and incredible versatility. Not the best for more heavy stuff :/ you can get a decent distortion out of this, but not if you need a pedal for death or black metal etc.
incredible 4/5!
After 8 years what do you think?
I've got one of these. STILL rocks and makes for a great practice headphone amp as well.
“Megatron’s Foot”, sounds almost instantaneously like the name for a killer 80s retro band that was a homogeneous everything excellent about the decade from Tears for Fears to Def Leppard to Journey to Enya to Prince to Tina Turner to Lionel Richie to Kraftwerk - and everything in between!
This demo has got me so tempted to try trading in my Line 6 Pod HD 500 for one of these. I have hitherto scarcely used the Pod and would think that this particular paddleboard would be much more user-friendly. In addition, it is battery powered.
I have this and it is way more that meets the eye. It takes time to go all the features but it is the best thing if you just want to plug and play! Very very nice sounds and all of the them are for real use and not just.....
Do you feel the same one year later. Does the device feel contemporary.
It is a good machine yes. You have to pay 1k in order to go neural quad cortex and find really better sound and kind of tube articulation in need but it is 3ple the money.
@@tns4421 Thanks for the reply. Nothing else in this budget range? - what about the Zoom G5n. Am asking mainly because I can’t demo these pedals where I live. Will have to buy it blind.
@@accentontheoff No...boss is like a toyota in cars...no fancy but industry standard...digitech, zoom, nux, mooer you name it...around same fine quality. High and mighty in $$ is fractal, avid, neural, kemper but they are computers with chipsets and then buy a motu for yor pc and save money...
@@tns4421 Yes that’s a refreshingly clear perspective. I guess at a certain price point they’re all more or less the same. Next level would probably be the GT100. Then the level above that would be the ones you mentioned. Didn’t understand the point about the Motu though. Thanks for the reply.
What review do you guys not have! You guys are so freeeking awesome!!!! I watch your channel all the time. I find myself looking at your videos 99% of the time that im on youtube lol! You guys are awesome!!! Very fun to watch and very educational.
I like how people take one of the classic guitar designs and make 1 or 2 minor changes and start selling it as their own.
i'm about to buy one of these. I used to have a Boss Me-50. It was so fun and easy to use. I do like the new features in the 80.
I bought one of these to use with my Blackstar HT-5, as I am the proverbial bedroom player.
I wasn't quite happy with the preamp sounds I was getting, but traced this to a design quirk with the ME80. The internal amp simulator is only turned on with headphones, or a plug inserted into the rec out/phones socket.
Solution: get a 1/4 inch to 2.5mm adaptor plug, connect to one end of your guitar lead, put this in the rec out/phones socket, then plug the other end into the return of the fx loop of your amp, if it has one. Result: much better tone.
I've not tried running into the front of my amp so can't comment on what the sound is like but the preamp of a valve amp will colour the tone of the preamps on the ME80. I suspect a solid state amp will not have these problems but I traded my Peavey Vypyr 15 in for this, so again, can't confirm that.
I like knobs. I loath menu wheels.
I love these videos! I really never considered buying a multi effects pedal, but I really want to try one of these out!
wow amazing multi effects, by the way i love the shark over the orange amp :)
Thank you, Rob and Lee. This helped me decide on the ME-80 over spending the extra money on the GT-100. The only thing that kept me wavering was the ability to hook the GT-100 up with a four cable method to put the compression, noise gate and etc. before the preamp on my Blackstar HT-40, use the amps natural overdrive and that awesome Blackstar clean tone my tubes give me, then use the modulation type effects through the effects loop after the pre-amp. I have the limited edition of the HT-40, with the Celestion Vintage 30 in it, and I love my amps tone. What I would really like to do most of the time is use this unit with the amp modeling off through the effects loop of my amp. By that, I mean plugging my guitar straight into the input of my amp, running the effects send from the back of the amp into the input of the unit, then running the output of the unit into the effects return on the back of my amp. However, I don't know much of anything about signal strengths of any of this, and I don't want to damage either the unit or my amp. Will this work in that configuration? Also, if I want to use the amp modeling of the ME-80, can I plug the guitar into the ME-80 and the output directly into the effects return on the back of my amp so that my amps preamp section does not color the modeled sounds? Thank you for any help you can give me with this. I've searched all over but have been unable to find a video or discussion on the subject.
This deserves a reply, as it's what I want to know too.
These ME systems can also be played into most home entertainment systems via aux out. I get awesome stereo modulation from my old ME-50 compared to my amp. Great fun at home!
Just bought one last week very nice instrument. thanks for the sounds demonstration pretty cool sounds. you guys play awesome
9:02 reminds me of the guitar sound on Planet Caravan... soft and smooth.
I have had mine since August and I am very happy with my purchase
Just came across this video. I use an ME70 for busking and I change my batteries once every three to four weeks including home use.
I just bought a ME-70 off Ebay for $150 U.S. ,and I love it. It is a bit out dated, but a huge upgrade from my ME-33 ! I am loving it! Still trying to figure out how to properly utilize all the features. Funny ,as I was just in a Sam Ash ,like a month ago ,and they still had the ME-70 on the floor for $300. So I am pumped to have it ,even though the 80 is out.
My biggest problem with multi-effects units (I used to own a Digitech rp500), was I spent more time playing with sounds than actually playing guitar
You right but i got my me80 like 4 yeara ago and i got so used to it that im able to get any effect i listen to for any song
I bought this base on the review and love it, thanks cap and chap
i have boss me-25 and it is awesome, sound is so harmonic to play alone and sits so nice in mix.
Actually, we have some pretty cheap pedals here in the States - the Danelectro FAB pedals run $15 each ($25 for fuzz and delay) and you can get a lot of great sounds from it, so making a big pedalboard is super easy and affordable. :) I honestly love them.
1:29, LOVE THAT guitar!
Shame on boss...I hate it when companies sell the power supply separately....dunlop do the same with their cry baby pedals and that annoyed me no end. They know you're going to need it if you're gigging...you can't rely on a battery....just include the power supply
***** well I want power supplies with all my pedals...any that I don't use go in a box in the cupboard ..batteries are a nuisance and expensive...when I buy a pedal I want the power supply..to me Boss selling a pedal without a power supply is no different to samsung selling a TV without a plug or Morphy Richards selling a kettle without the lead...you wouldn't accept that so why accept the pedal without a power supply?
Michael Barnes
Most people tend to have a multi-out power supply so they just run new pedals through that. I guess it's not profitable to include power supplies when that audience is taken into account.
Michael Barnes You can daisy chain all of your 9 volt effects from a single cheap power supply. No need to get each effect their own PS or an expensive power supply like pedal power or fuel tank.
Mikko Kaipainen yeah, I'm aware of these things, all I'm saying is that I think the power supply should always be supplied with the product, whether you use it or not is up to you but at least if it's supplied then you have options....I have plenty of kettle leads but if I buy a new kettle I expect to get a new power lead haha
***** absolutely....they just do it to make more money, it's wrong
i bought it for travel and those gigs that room is a factor..i have a massive pedal board that ill still use. great little board
thanks for the great video
Wauw, the Ml2 classic looks so beautiful, i'm in love.......
I still have an old boss ME 33 from the late 90's and it still works and still has all but one knob. the distortions and amp models never did sound very good but all the other functions we're not bad, if you frig with it you can get some usable tones out of the tube distortion and the Blues distortion but they're not great. but at least they're very reliable I've had mine for over 10 years thrown in the bottom of vans and cars, and it still works.
Just got the ME 70 not too long ago. So pissed to find out that the ME 80 has come out. Definitely selling my ME 70 haha
How much you selling it for?
same
I think they got the same quality and the me70 has some better functions than the me80 though (the tuner's switch, for example)
Very nice demo, guys!
You know you are close friends when you can control the wah why your buddy plays the lead.
I have a zoom G9tt and I absolutely love it!! The twin tubes make a huge difference
Loving the purple 💜 East Coast electric guitar I bought from sunny Suffolk.
2:24 'I guess it has got a lot of knobs on it.' You're really good at guessing.
I like your Demo! I have an ME-70 but it's on my Gator G Tour Concert/Big stage pedal board and when I'm not on those stages and playing at a club the whole rig tends to be a bit much.So I decided to get the ME-80 and use it in smaller venue's.One unit in a carrying bag same great sounds without the big bulky road rig I use.The ME-80 seems to have every thing I need for the R&B Oldies shows I do I'll just program and save the same sounds in it/also save the sounds in my computer on the new software that comes with the ME-80 (couldn't do that on the ME-70) I had the ME-6 for 19 years on the road and clubs, bought the ME-70 5 years ago this November and now the ME-80. I guess you can say I'm a boss man.I use Line6 amps but not the pedals. Sema'j
Thx for the excellent demo. A very common mistake with the ME-70 is driving too much overdrive/distortion "gain" through a good tube amp... i.e., less is more. With my amps, I usually find the gain sweet spot around the 9-10 o'clock position. Ordering the ME-80 tomorrow.
Thanks for the demo!
19:50 to see the Hot Rod in action \m/
Megatrons foot hahaha
epic stuff Rob!
Smoking playing guys. Great info thx ! Great sounds!
I own an me 50 and have been reduced to running it in manual mode due to the short silence or interuption in sound when switching presets in program mode (more then a little annoying) I really wished you guys had demoed switching presets in program mode to know this multi has seamless transitions from one preset to another.
Tasty clean playing there mate......nice to 'ear that......
A Friend of mine has asked if I would be interested in going abroad to play in a duo playing covers. I've been looking into pedals etc for a few weeks and this seems like it could do the job.
Best of luck and have fun if you go abroad. This multi-effect pedal is an amazing value, couldn’t ask for more at its price point. I am very pleased with mine.
I'm torn between this (ME80) ... and going with the Strymon Iridium with my existing collection of pedals. I never would have considered the ME80 ... but I recently saw a phenomenal guitarist/vocalist with backing tracks using one of these at a winery and he killed it! GREAT sound direct to the board. No amp to haul around. Hmmmm. Decisions.
I use a Boss ME/50B bass processor every weekend,which covers everything i can ever use for bass tones..Boss make bulletproof gear but the "pedal snobs" always give them shit,even though they were once "top shelf." A funky paint job,mini toggles,& a hard bypass don't a great pedal make!
I am very unhappy with this me-80 pedal hard to set different sounds. Rather just use the build in effects on my 100W Fender Champion amp.Very disappointed, Will go back to just using crybaby and distortion pedal.
Best Demo's On You Tube
Great Demo just bought one thanks for this insight
the New ML-2 Classic looks amazing and sounds even better! :D
Just bought it from Andertons, gonna arrive on Tuesday cant wait :)
Would be really cool and helpful to see a a multi effects pedal shoot out similar to the cheap amps one
Proper Boss Metal! That's a badass statement really XD
Just got mine. Considering the price this is a very decent piece of equipment. I only play every once in awhile when I have time as a pastime. I got it on sale at Guitar Center for $250 bucks and it definitely is a huge upgrade from my old Zoom G2.1u that I payed $200 for about 12 years ago. Hey it's a Boss, made by Roland so I think it's the best bang for your buck unless you're a pro and want to spend several thousands on an Eventide.
Wow Boss have really outdone themselves here! Ofcourse there's the matter wether you like the distortions and if it tonesucks your amp. Really depending on the gear and ear you have. But that asides, doubling up the pedals like this is brilliant. And the possibility to have a volume and wah pedal, an eq to either midboost or scoop (my choice, works brilliant as a go to for clean and more 'metally' parts) depending on your taste and a boost and a drive pedal and reverb and delay and a modulation of choice under your foot not counting the tuner and the possibility to vary all of the above by selecting a new preset..........under 250. Who cannot applaude? Depending on the tonesuck adding a decent amplifier and/or a good additional drivepedal is gonna provide more than 95% of guitarist will ever need gigging.
Looking to get into effects and honestly this is exactly what I was looking for! Great vid
It's a really good all in one unit.
Great review. I would trade in my me-70 but it's taken me a year to create quality patches. This unit is definitely more versatile.
Rob rocking the smart look today...
I freaking love this pedal!! I've had it for about a yr!! And I may understand 20% of it you got to be like a sound engineer lol !! It's so awesome tho!!
You two are fantastic
I miss these guys
Great job guys!! Thanks for this video looking to buy this pedal, love the sounds in it. Oh hey Rob Ill take that tele double humbuckers guitar on the wall behind you please lol!!
I dont really hear the difference between multis or pedals, I personally think they are the same. Probably the pros for pedals are you can tweak it faster than multis, let me know what you think :)
1. the standard pedal normally has more options to dial up. take the mt-2 dist pedal for example. the standalone pedal has two options to tweak the mids out of the sound. the ME boards (25, 50, 70, 80) cant do that. overall the sound of the standalone will be slightly better bcs it focuses on one thing
2. the OD/DT Pedal. On that one you can choose which gain effect you want. more dist or more OD.... it lets you tweak between these two and even find a good in between sound. The ME boards wont let you do that. OD or Dist! but not both
I do have a good pedalboard but still would buy this, issa really good product fr
I have the the ME-70 and it has never let me down on a gig and is really impressive with sound quality( not sounding digital at all) and ease of use but... it could have been much better if they spent more time playing with it . The ME-80 solves most of the ME-70's flaws like separating the pre-amps from the EQ section and also being able to add 2 mods on one patch. Personally I would have wanted the Phrase looper to be on a separate section(both ME-70 and 80) because you still can't use other delay effects (except for the standard one) with the looper and that just sucks if you want to be experimental. And because of its position in the delay section the reverb affects your recorded loop so you can't have 2 different reverbs in the looper at the same time(Reverb is wired after the delay section in ME70) But overall it is still one of the best multi fx pedals I have played on.
I've had the thing almost 2 years. I've practiced, gigged and recorded with it into Amps and PA's.
I LOVE the hands-on control without any screens or scrolling. This sets it above everything else out there. But I do have a few complaints, so I just can't wait for the ME-90. I'd love to see it take the power of the GT-1000 into the control of this.
1. The dumbest thing ever is that there IS a cab-sim, but it will only turn on by plugging something into the headphone jack. So the first time I played live by plugging direct to a PA from the 1/4 inch jack I noticed my tone sucked. Then I found this out. So I actually have a nub cut off from an old pair of ear buds that I can stick in the headphone jack to turn on the cab-sim. This is silly. They should just have a button or switch for this.
2. The distortions aren't great. Everything else is nearly perfect, but those drive pedals just don't behave like the real things or sound as dynamic and deep as the real things. The drives that are in the Amp models are way more real.
3. I'd like to see them update the processors and effects to run at a 97k sample rate, like the GT-1000. I think this extra head-room will allow the ME-80 to better capture and manipulate the dynamics of your playing to create more realistic distortion and amps. It may also help it sound thicker and richer; I've played with this thing live alongside someone with a real tube amp (they had an AC10 and I used the AC model), and my tone just had less depth and thickness than theirs.
4. I think it'd be really cool to actually put a 7-10 band graphic EQ on here. I NEVER use the EQ section as a second FX section because I think the EQ is more important. I would love if I could be a little more nuanced in my control though. I think this would especially help with shaping your high-highs and low-lows, because the 3 bands essentially only effect the Low-mids, mids and high-mids.
5. MORE inputs-outputs. There's just a guitar-in, Aux-in (for backing tracks), headphone-out and L/R 1/4in outs. I'd like to see an XLR out, and maybe a send/return to do the 4 cable method. I'd also like for them to incorporate the technology from the GT-1000 that shapes the dynamics based on whether you are plugging into a real amp or a PA.
6. Maybe put in a more comprehensive looper? Allow people to control a longer loop. And maybe there can be some way of accessing a loop mode where your first 3 pedals can become controls to record multiple sections. Basically put the power of the Boss RC-300 into this thin?
OR.. At the very least, add an option to the expression pedal that allows it to control the volume of the Loop.
That Goldtop is the first Chapman guitar I´d really want to buy, it looks great !!!!
That ML-1 HotRod is KILLER!!!
They still didn't get the distortion right. You can hear the fizz when using the preamp.
You can adjust it very nicely with an amp if you turn down the gain on the pedal and turn it up on the amp instead. Add a bit of mids, treble on about 6 or 7
Paper bag sounding in every boss multi effects unit I have owned since they came out very digital delays and chorus always sound decent. The single unit effects pedals especially distortion usually are of much better sound than the multi effects processers I just bought an me eighty thinking they might have improved but no still very unusable distortion horrible a big let down boss is still one of my go to pedals
Rob, that gold top is gorgeous !
I use my ME-70 quite a bit. No problems with it and I don't see a real compelling reason to step up to the ME-80. I like the freeze effect though but I can always get an EH freeze pedal for that. As far as the power supply, I use an affordable One Spot which also has a small footprint.
PLEASE MAKE A BASS VERSION!!!! I will buy it the DAY it comes out!!
@@joshflugel Nope - still no such thing as an ME-80B, and Boss still don't make bass versions of any multieffects units except for their cheapest model. Still leaving us out in the cold....
Love the effects. Preamps are OK.
I had a gt8 and me 50, but prefer distortion sounds from Digitech. Sounds more natural to my ears. Their new chip is the DNA2. I got a great deal on the me50, so just with the reverbs, pedal for vol., chorus, and delay it was totally worth it.
I Love the sound on 1:30. Can you tell me what adn which effect you use. I like to creat it on my GT10. Hope you can tell mee.
Lee: "We'll see if we can find some classic tones..."
**Cut**
Rob puts ML-Classic back on shelf.
I noticed that aswell haha.
lol
Great test thanks!
Great info. I truly enjoy your prodect demo/reviews. Could you guys do a Multi-effects pedals shootout between Boss, Digitech, Zoom, Fender and Line 6. These companies all have product in the 300 dollar price point. I have been thinking of getting one and am having so much trouble deciding. Things I would be interested in are build, versatility, and sound quality for recording and live performances.
I wanna grow old with you guys! Love your videos sooooo much!
Nice the Free beginning!
7:41..Rob's face is priceless!! "WTF am i chewing on????"
If Boss would be so nice and made new version of this thing. You know... something like floor preamp version of Boss Katana with this kind of knob-based controls and of course USB connection to delve deeper if needed. For us, who buy their GT-1000s and Line6 Helixes and use it for like 4 or 5 sounds
I got an Me-70 for free.
It's a great machine at a great price that can't be beat!
Free can't be beat!
MindfulProgramming
If there was a big roll of 100 dollar bills stuffed into the battery compartment it would have beat free.
Waaaaaah!!! The hot rod is awesome...
Strangely enough this is quite convincing as a demo.
Jesus, that Hot Rod is so sweet! I'd LOVE one!
Hi there! A question abt the WAH effect. Is the T-WAH automatic as it should be (as long as T stands for "touch") or not?
In fact at 3:20 it is clear that you are operating the expression pedal by hand to get the WAH effect. Can you explain?
Maybe both, automatic and manual? Please answer if you can, since I can't find this answer anywhere... thanks a lot!
The ME 70 had automatic Toe Up / Down Wah options in the Compression pedal Box and a Foot Controller controlled Wah on the pedal. The ME 80 will probably have the same. And there is a peda controlled Whammy now ....