Roland GP-8 - BOSS Pedals in a Rack!
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- Опубликовано: 4 апр 2021
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Guitar - GP8 (Pre-Fx) - Axe-Fx III - GP8 (Delay & Chorus) - Axe-Fx III - Pro Tools
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I have been using the GP-8 since 1990 through many different amps supplied to me and it is the most flexible piece of equipment I have used! Full stop!
One of the coolest things (back then at least) was that it was stereo, it was a key piece in Vernon Reid's rig/ sound.
Its crazy how Purple Rain has almost become the global de facto tune when demoing chorus. Sounds great
Flanger
Ah that chorus is amazing. Nothing has ever really topped Roland in that regard.
Roland know chorus
Tc 2290
I have one, and used it in a top 40 group back some 28 years ago. Recently, when I tried to buy a new effects unit, it couldn't compare. The GP8 is all the BOSS stomp boxes (the circuits) combined on one large circuit board. They added the programmability and kept the stomp box tones in tact. The newer guitar effects units have lower micro/millivolts and voltage level is always an issue with audio/guitar/amps/circuits. The best recording gear, the stuff that costs you several thousands for a compressor? Its about the voltage, the higher voltage carrying the signal path the better. People who try the GP8 need to realize that amp emulations were a few years away, and you need to run this unit through either an amp emulator, or a real amp.
Cool Leon, thanks! Keep in mind that the first 6 "pedals" in this unit are ANALOG too! :)
That's true! So awesome
Boss really needs a modern version of this. Toss the 200 and/or 500 series pedals in a rack unit with a decent editor and it would be amazing.
not possible, because these are the actual analog pedal circuits in a rack, all digitally controlled. well, it would be possible but large and expensive unless you kept it to just a few pedals.
And modern expensive pitch shifter as well! I'd drop the cash right away. Would be cool to see them release a new pitch shifter delay in the 500 series
Awesome job mate! I love the old stuff
Well done LT! Interesting and inexpensive to try. Good compliment with the Strat!
Thanks for sharing and Be Well All!
i totally remember my uncle had one of these around 1989..1990.. and i was a 15 year old kid playing on it using his custom krammer.. was an awesome sound and feel i can remember vividly.. great review.. really brings back memories..
Thank you so much , there are many more to try GO LEON great !!
Thank you for keeping reviewing these old racks 🙏🙏🙏 so much value
The pleasure is all mine!
I love this thing - the way it is so straight forward yet so effective. Not 100% sure about the dist/od but everything else was spot on - hopefully it would be perfect paired with an MP1 or similar. Having just got a GP100 I prolly don't need one but you never know...
This has become one of my favorite RUclips channels. Thanks for all your videos Leon. If I lived down there I'd loan you my DigiTech legend II to review since I haven't seen a proper video of it yet. Its a less known and not very respected rack piece but I've had years of fun with it. Cheers brother
I'm here to clear up the disrespect!
Wow brother You have got the chops! I've got one of these things and haven't turned it on since I was 15. I guess it's about time to dig it out again
I used the GP-8 over decades. Perfect for live. Built like a tank and, not to forget, the effects 1-6 are analog, 7-8 digital. That makes sound, even with the 4-cabel-method.
I've got one in the cellar and I think, I'll grab it out.
For the old warhorse up!
Perfect demo
Hi Leon, I traded a Boss CE- 2 for a GP 8 around 30 years ago and still have the Roland. The accompanying FC100 and expression pedal are particularly useful love too. I also own the GP16 but it sounds a little thin by comparison. Cheers from Melbourne and stay safe.
Around 9:00 - instant 80s, damn! Huge tone out there!
Loved seeing you keeping your lips firmly pressed together during the autowah demo bwahaha! I was subconciously making wah shapes with my mouth even just watching it :P
hahaha the struggle is real
Bought one new.. still got it.. still use it.. Love it!
Great to hear!
Great tones for 80 snackers. Very cool. Hope you are well my brother.
I was so incredibly thrilled when I was able to buy one of these used just three months after they were released by Roland. Had the accompanying pedal board. I used this device to control all my other midi gear in my rack. I loved the sound of it, but after a few years it really started to have a bad hum, with a much higher noise floor. Drove me crazy. Sold it..., but I miss it.
I remember when my friend got one when it first came out. We were all so impressed. Hahaha.
That sounded so much better than I thought it would.
When it works it's awesome
I had a GP-8 back in the late 80s. Sold all my Boss pedals as a result. Then realised the GP-8 didn't sound as good as the individual pedals. So I sold my GP-8 and bought my pedals back....
I got a GP-8 a few months ago for free, the guy said it it had powered on once when he tested it and then wouldn't power on again. The fix was the power button on the front pushes a long nylon stick to the actual switch deeper inside, and all the stick bushings were dry so the stick was just bending and not making the power switch. Removing all the covers, bushes and cleaning and lubricating the nylon stick freed it up nicely, no issues now. Tested the battery and it was fine.
You are so right man. Nobody had big racks back then. We all had our favorite preamp (mp-1 or jmp-1 or whatever) with a effects unit into a power amp or head.
Yeah not everyone was doing sessions in LA and earning enough to pay roadies to set up their rig every day!
Bought mine back in 89... along with the pedal (which is awesome for life play) for $800 Canadian and still have it and enjoy it.
I still have mine!! one of the coolest features is that it will do channel switching on your amp
That's realy funy, i had that guitar processor in the 80'. 👍
My first multi effect unit late 80's. Sold my original one - later bought one back.
*WOW.!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALL THESE YEARS,I NEVER KNEW!! This would have solved so many issues years ago.*
A LEGEND !!!
O melhor canal !!!
best gear channel
\M/
And the switching between patches is super fast !
I bought a GP-8 when they first came out along with the footswitch. I had it in a rack with an Alesis Midiverb and a Gallien Kreuger ML250. I then would run it live into a GK 2*12 strereo cab.
I’ve always loved Roland studio gear, love their rack mount unit design, the buttons, LCD display and general design/look always look excellent and cool and make your studio rack of effects look shit hot, every piece I f Roland studio gear I’ve owned has always been brilliant sounding from the SP50, SP90, SPX900, Sound Canvas, JV1080 to name a few things in my studio, can’t fault any of their gear, everything has always worked perfectly for me and sounds and looks like pro end gear, Roland have always been one of my favourite brands, you’ll is your getting an exceptional piece of gear.
I'm a Roland GP-100 owner. I've thought about getting one of these units and connecting it to the stereo effects loop in the GP-100. The delay in particular sounds better.
I got a new pedal multi effects called Valeton gp 200 lots of RUclips videos on it it’s home run and puts this Roland to shame in every possible way but we needed that Roland to get to the Valeton as an affordable option for guitarist made with guitarist in mind 😊
Also my busking Amp the NUX MIGHTY SPACE is a beast 😮
The Rockman midi controller was a must back in the day. Huge foot switches!!
Impossible to miss those ones
To save the tubes in my valve amps I use an old Boss ME-70 multi-effects unit I bought used into the front of a Boss Katana. The range of tones I can get on the cheap is amazing. I've never been disappointed with Roland/Boss gear.
They're so incredibly consistent, it's easy to forget just how stellar their gear is
@Leon Todd Very nice,I wouldn't mind having one of these. Like I've mentioned before how about a review of the Boss GT-8 next.
i used to have on of these, honestly, I find its effects sounded better than current boss gt1000, especially modulations
Got one! Vintage Boss pedals is what I’ve always said.
That Chorus !!!
So good right!
With the distortion on reverb and sweet delay ,you get Gary Moore satriani etc ,the GP8 is a classic gigging unit for lead players !
I had the GP16 which sounded great! Fun rack! Digitech Twin tube was another great one! Especially loud!!
Keen to try both of those at some point, so fun
@@LeonTodd The key to the digitech gear is the adjustable eq for the speaker simulation. I usually dialed in my tones at a loud volume. It just seems to work better like that.
Even now this unit still blows the mind when using the 4 cable method. I revived my Mesa Vtwin with a Boss MS3 which I feel is an evolution of the GP8 using the 4 cable method and I've never been happier. Boss pedals still rules.
Share how you do the 4 cable method?
@@LoveGuitar63277 Sure. The output of the guitar goes to the input of the MS3 then I use 1 of the effects loop of the MS3 for the Vtwin. You can change the channel of the Vtwin within the presets or from preset to preset. You can put the pedal effects before or after the effects loop and with external footswitch like the Boss FS7 you can on or off effectcs change effects and effect vaues depending on how you program the MS3. I'm just barely scratching the surface. Best thing is the Vtwin really warms up the overdrives/distortion on the MS3. Add a Cab Sim pedal like the Mooer radar and you have the option of running this setup into a guitar amp, mixer or to foh or frfr speakers. On a side note I found that the cab sim I chose for the Mooer Radar sound very close tho the speaker emulation output from the Vtwin. could have saved myself some money there. Hope this helps.
With the eqs and various overdrive/distortion pedals can get different kinds of tone from this set up. Just use your imagination and ears.
There is a way to use 4 cables method with the GP8 but it is a bit peculiar... although... Guitar into GP8 to benefit of level 1 effects (dynamic filter = wha = notch; and compressor). Then shaping the sound with the EQ. Then using the send jack going into the entry (pre-amp section) of your amplifier (and then benefit of the dirt channel you like). Then recuperate the sound of the preamp by the send jack of the amp and to enter it into the return jack of the GP8 to take profit of the level 3 effects (digital Delay and digital chorus). And then return all this into the return jack of the amp towards its power amp section. In such a configuration I doubt using level 2 effects of the GP8 (OD or DS or surely the phaser) would make sense. Perhaps a little bit of OD to serve as booster or to stack. But the phaser before the pre-amp section of the amp would be strange to me.
When preamp & speaker simulator technology not yet exist..
indeed
Made in Japan! Good stuff!
Man, some of the old rack gear is so underrated. I got a Boss GX-700 near mint for €100 about a year ago. Some of the same sounds as in this, a couple more on top of that too. The chorus is just as lush too!
Nothing like boss chorus hey
@@bearonguitar I imagine the BOSS MD-200 or MD-500 will cover all the BOSS chorus tones you'd ever want.
There is a special parameter controller made for this. Makes it easy with knobs
finally. I have the gp16 since it came out. In the catalog it was the only unit with a full blown digital interface at the time. Has four outputs and we used to send delay repeats out of each and use four amps for a trippy rehearsal studio vibe. Two LFOs inside to control any parameter and I used two exp pedals in the 90s. Used it on at least 500 shows.
That must have been unreal having quad delays!
@@LeonTodd combine that with an electronic kit with any sound or effect as well and jamming live with phones on and psychedelic lighting haha. If you get a chance check out the LFOs in there and assign them to a pitch that drops off after your initial note. You can get NIN type synth sounds and beyond. Gravity Kills used one also.
If you haven’t already tried, some Deoxit contact cleaner might help with that faulty power jack. I had a pedal with a shotty power jack that I was sure would need to be replaced, sprayed some contact cleaner on a power cable and plugged and unplugged it a few times to work the solution into the jack, and it works like perfect!
I gave it a thorough spray which helped a little. I'm going to play with it a little more.
I remember back in the late 80's I think, this was considered a Shit Hot piece of gear, we used to lust over the Boss ads in Guitar Player mags !
Love these. - I have three of them!! Mind you, only one works. :-)
I never used the gp16 for dist or OD though. I used my ADA MP1 or a head for that. Also made a ton of crazy glitcht effecty sounds using pitch shifting, exp pedals, or the internal LFOs.
Man for so long I wanted to suggest this rack to you!!! This is my favorite FX rack, just bought my second one as a backup. I use the auto-wah as a fixed wah by putting sensitivity on zero, to get that Michael Schenker/Judas Priest sound. As for gain, it has more than enough of that, I send it into the clean channel of my JVM, I still need to sort out how to combine the rack with tube compression while keeping all in the loop in the right order.
That's stuck a clever trick!
@@LeonTodd You should try it... you'll sound like the lord Glenn Tipton yourself... too bad there is no reverb in the rack but a reverb pedal in the rack loop works fine. Boss should reissue this beauty with some extra FX.
Haha ... my first multifx, followed by the GP16... and then the ART SGX2000 ... then, a Signal Station 3 channel valve pre/power and an Intellifex! Ahh the good old 90's 🤟🎸😀
What a time to be alive!
@@LeonTodd if you ever want to try my Signal Station, let me know ...
Saying that the Dynamic Filter is an auto-wah is a little bit of a shortcut. The Dynamic Filter is first a filter i.e. can be used as a Notch, very usefull with accoustic amplified instruments. You can use it as Booster, mid or trebble booster. You can use it indeed as a wah (with the expression pedal offering the possibility to dynamically move the freq or the Q - the functions of the 95Q wah pedal are then available. And then indeed, using the sens parameter, you can have an auto wah.
The phaser and autowah are pretty good. But not worth it enough to take up prescious real state on your rack. You could have a boss vf1 and boss se-70 in the same space. Those two sound miles better despite being digital. Have you looked into half rack space setups. That would be kind of interesting to explore
I have it, beautiful.
This was the very first FX unit I ever bought back in 89....back then I thought it was coolest thing ever....This and my trusty Jubilee was my main gigging rig for several years...the chorus and delays were my favorite....I forgot all about this thing...
Killer rig with the Jube!
@@LeonTodd it was....still have the Jube to this day...bought her brand new in 87..
meant to add that wit the "turbo drive" you can turn the turbo off! Flanger (as chorus) and phaser are an interesting combination! "Phasorous" as it's been named..
… today I’ll get mine !, a processor I have dreamed for since the beginning but could not afford . What I like especially is the simplicity , because u just pic the effect ( or even several ) u want in real-time , literally don’t worry how it sounds , I can adjust it anyway . The concept of this machine in the early days of rack-units is “ genius “ ! It’ll probably kick my tc g-force from number 1 to 2 … got a better idea : Dunlop wah first , gp8 second , tc-GeForce third in line & than the preferred amp . Looks like fun to me ! ❤️
Hi, great video! I own one of those guys + it’s pedal control, it’s great for what it , using mainly the Drive the Distortion and the DD (the D options 😁). Check out the battery, maybe you should change it and that is the problem. Good luck!
Thanks for the info! Any idea what type of battery it takes?
@@LeonTodd It should be one of those rounded battery, CR2032 if not wrong. Check the service manual here and let me know please if you solved the problem: www.synthxl.com/roland-gp-8/
I've got about 5 of these in the studio .. never sell em
Compressor ds-1 phaser delay really great
These are really cool! Actually most boss/roland rack units are kinda good if you use em the right way
hah- I just bought one of these off eBay 3 weeks ago. Love it. Thankfully mine seems in excellent condition except for perhaps a dead battery. You can still download the factory patches from Roland's website (I had to since the previous owner had wiped nearly everything on it). I used some WIDI connectors (Bluetooth wireless MIDI) and MIDI-OX to do it. There's also a free patch editor in the Windows 10 app store. I'll probably end up also picking up a GP-16 at some point as well. 😆
Wow! What's the name of the patch editor?
I got an old Roland GS6. Interesting unit too.
Never even heard of that one! I'll investigate further.
I also have a GS6 (240 V), I could send it you but I guess it’s cheaper to pick up one locally, you can get them for around 75 - 100 dollars...anyway, great reviews, this equipment is bringing back memories!!!
@@mbosch1970 One interesting feature is that it both has an eq pre and post the drive. How do you find the drive modes? I recall liking the quite insane mode 8. It's been a while since mine was on. I got it in a storage room because I've been moving quite a bit durring the past five years.
The 4CM is pretty cool. Even the GP100 and VG-99 don’t have that.
Always wanted one of these. By the time I could afford it, the GP-16 was out. I then moved to the GP-100. Those were days.
That's 92 more right?!
@@LeonTodd More stuff is more stuufff!
My stage rig since 1988... The FC 100 makes it much easier to switch channels and banks.
It would be cool if you could side chain that delay so it only goes on when you need the repeats at the top note.
Have one, great deal if you can find them!
I had a Roland gp-100 best unit ever.
I have the gp 100, u should try one
I use the chorus and DDL on synth bass and the occasional synth lead... :) Could/Should be using it more often though... :)
You can tell by the facial expressions you love the delays...... have you listened to the band *Cage the Gods*?..... they use similar delay types in their music and their music sounds awesome.
04:35 really suited for nirvana grungy distorted sound..
I'm still using that unit I bought 30 years ago.
Roland/BOSS stand the test of time
Picked one of these units up recently off Reverb for $50! When I went to pick it up the seller also gave me the fc-100 foot channel changer and a Roland us-20 unit selector. I’m having fun creating some rad tones with it. 🤘🏼🤘🏼 great video!
SCORE!
Hey Leon,
stupid question perhaps: I'm not sure what's the best way to integrate this into a regular amp set up: in front of the amp in order to use the overdrives of the GP8 or in the fx loop so that reverbs and delays are in the right place? Thanks!
There’s a small bank of voltage regulators that suffer from dry solder joints in this unit,look for a heat sink (a metal bracket) to identify what I’m talking about !
I had one of these waaaay ages ago with a 5150... Good times.
That must have been a fun rig!
@@LeonTodd using it to switch channels and loop on the 5150 with a midi pedal blew my mind back in those days. Back when freo had a bunch of venus for original bands to play. Man I'm old.
@@rgoring81 that must have been wicked fun! Now there's basically just mojos
I'm impressed with new digital stuff but I still hold onto my money and use my old rack gear in my live rig:
modded Peavey Rockmaster
TCE G-Major2
MosValve MV-962
(2) ADA 2x12's
rack ADA Microcab (to PA)
Those ada 2x12's are RAD
Coud you do a video on how to mix/ where to put backing guitars in a mix? I wanna do some quick solos with only 1 or 2 guitars backing
also a riff played with overtones, simply pan left/right?
U should hunting the latest model.. GP-100, it was early Roland COSM modelling technology & has 5 voice harmonist plus 4 tap delay ! 😁👍
I'm looking out for one, super keen to try!
I have one in Brisbane
Great demo, Leon, it showcases what you can do with it. I've got one that used to work great but it's not giving any output at the moment. Will have to get it fixed. The user interface is a bit cumbersome and not really intuitive.
Shame, the analog distortions/comp and the delay are pretty nice so it's worth getting it up and going again
Hi, can you tell me how to connect the gp8? Connect its output into the header input?
If you like this, you'll love the GX-700
I agree, only shame is that they did away with amp relay switching with these.
Nice sometimes
Nice video Leon.
I still have my GP-8 from the 80's because it brings back memories and I like to pull it out for fun occasionally. Even in the day of Axe-Fx, truth is you can get almost any sound you need out of the GP-8 into a decent tube amp. The EQ, while only 3 band, in combination with the output level and master volume is a pretty powerful set of controls. The external control switches are handy, as you can go midi to the GP-8 and then use those for switching. There is an FX loop before the delay and chorus. It has some background noise, but I like it because it is aa rich sounding unit, and even the digital delay and chorus sound rich.
Yeah everything else is gravy right?
it lacks Pitch Shifter and has no Reverb, in my case a Roland VT-3 does it, the GP-8 is one of my treasures!
in your case it seems to not fit your own Guitar setup...but you must admit it delivers classic funk and rock sounds, really...some would use amp with mic after it, I really appreciate the recordable stereo-out personally, one of the main reasons I've bought it for 100bucks in perfect condition!
you get a not so roomy sound out of it, it also sounds a bit dark, but you can always compensate with the built in saveble 3-band EQ with a normal high band...
My old roommate had one of these back in the day. I was always kinda jealous as I had the Roland GS6 and being the model number ended in 8, his must have been better, right? haha.
hahaha exactly!
*why do you never tell us how you have these effects chained up to your amp?*
I have 3. The only thing I've relied on live since 1987. The question I have is when the sound starts to degrade a bit, sounding like 'bees in a bottle', is it merely the bias pot in the thing that needs to be cranked back, or must I replace the battery? thanks, anyone.
Hey man great video! I notice that I cannot find the Amp feature. Was it specifically made to be plugged into an amp or is there a setting for a preamp? or impulse response?
That's no preamp, you can hook it up in 4CM with an amp /preamp
@@LeonTodd no wonder it sounds like a regular distortion pedal going DI. Super gainy. Would pluggin it into a tube amp on the clean channel make it sound normal?
@@HugoDeBernardoMusic definitely. I think it's just a DS-1 circuit crammed in there!