Boss GX100 users?

noisepolluter · January 2023

Looking to get a GX100 to run 4cm with Marshall JVM - also planning to get the Bluetooth wotsit so I can stream audio for headphone practice using the GX100 on its own.

I’ve been looking at the alternatives in that price range, but it seems none of the others have both the Bluetooth audio/editing option and a built in expression pedal.

Any GX100 users here?

StefB · January 2023

Not GX100 but I recently bought a GT-1000 and quickly had it running in 4CM with my JVM410 combo, using the GT's PC MIDI out to switch channels & master volumes etc on the Marshall along with patch changes on the Boss.

The OS on the Boss units will be broadly similar I expect, all works perfectly & seamlessly from the GT-1000 so I hope this is some help/assurance/ensorsement.

noisepolluter · January 2023

StefB said:

Not GX100 but I recently bought a GT-1000 and quickly had it running in 4CM with my JVM410 combo, using the GT's PC MIDI out to switch channels & master volumes etc on the Marshall along with patch changes on the Boss.

The OS on the Boss units will be broadly similar I expect, all works perfectly & seamlessly from the GT-1000 so I hope this is some help/assurance/ensorsement.

Thanks, that’s helpful.

I note some reviews of the GX100 mention a 48k sample rate vs 96k for the GT1000 models - I doubt I’d be able to tell the difference unless it was a direct A/B of the same sounds and possibly not even then.

guitarcookie1 · January 2023

@noisepolluter I have a GX-100 with Bluetooth module for sale if interested..

I have used it to stream backing tracks with headphones and it worked fine, not used it for 4CM though.

UnclePsychosis · September 2023

Bumping an old thread in the hope of getting some real world gx-100 experiences.

Is anyone using theirs into a FRFR speaker / powered monitor?

I noticed that Boss don't include this use case in the literature for it and the lack of balanced outs (which seems weird to me) also implies that this isn't what Boss think the gx-100 is for.

Intrigued to know what the opinion of people who have one is because using it like this would probably be my go to.

rich75 · September 2023

@UnclePsychosis ; I bought a used one on ebay last week and will be using it at a rehearsal (through a Yamaha DXR10) for the first time this Sunday. I'll report back on how it goes.

Based on trying it at home (quietly through the DXR) it's very promising so far. It's very easy to set patches up and is covering everything in need.

Let's see how it goes when I crank it up on Sunday!

UnclePsychosis · September 2023

rich75 said:

@UnclePsychosis ; I bought a used one on ebay last week and will be using it at a rehearsal (through a Yamaha DXR10) for the first time this Sunday. I'll report back on how it goes.

Based on trying it at home (quietly through the DXR) it's very promising so far. It's very easy to set patches up and is covering everything in need.

Let's see how it goes when I crank it up on Sunday!

Grand, enjoy and please do report back

sorbz62 · September 2023

I bought a GX100 after a whole run of modellers (FM3, Tonex, GT10, GT8 .....) and it is the best yet, particularly live. I use it either 4cm through a variety of amps, with a FRFR speaker (QSC) or direct to FOH, all with great results.

The amp modelling is just 'right' and feels good too.

rich75 · September 2023

I finally had the chance to try the GX-100 out at volume through the DXR10 at rehearsal on Sunday. So far, I'm pretty impressed.

First, a quick bit of background. I primarily use a Helix Floor and had been using an HX Stomp as a backup. Given that I seem to set up quite complex patches there are occasions when the number of blocks and switches in the Stomp don't quite cover everything I need without making a few compromises. The appeal of the GX-100 was therefore the 15 blocks and the increased number of footswitches compared to the Stomp.

Firstly, it was an absolute breeze to set up some presets to get me through the rehearsal. My patches tend to be variations on a theme with generally the same (or very similar) amp and drive settings but different patches where there are specific effects needed for certain songs. I managed to set up about 12 presets for the rehearsal in no time just using the touchscreen.

In terms of running it through the DXR10, that was very straightforward. You can set the output level to instrument or line level, and line level basically put in on par with the output levels from my Helix. I didn't encounter any unwanted noise. At gigs we go straight to PA (via the Helix XLR out) and use IEMs rather than backline so I haven't tried that yet. I have a DI box available if needed but I suspect it will be fine without so I'm not envisaging the lack of XLR output on the GX-100 being a problem.

The bluetooth module is very good and it only took me a few minutes to set up Bandhelper to automatically call up the right presets.

It's also very easy to set up footswitch assignments to call up individual effects, combinations of effects and/or change parameter values. From that perspective it works really well for live use. My only possible gripe at this stage is that I haven't yet found an intuitive way of calling up patches as you can't necessarily see the name of the patch you are going to select when using the bank switch buttons. If you know which patch number you are after then it won't really matter. There may be a better way of doing this that I haven't found yet but I haven't invested any time in it as I'm calling up presets from my iPad via Bandhelper anyway so it isn't an issue for me.

Moving onto the sounds, so far so good. I need to do a bit of minor tweaking to gain and volume levels and also some effects mix levels here and there, and also bring in some low cuts, but the core sounds are certainly there and it doesn't sound at all out of place against the Helix. The core sounds perhaps weren't quite at the same standard as the Helix but it took me weeks to get the sounds right when I first got my Helix (about 7 years ago) so it isn't a fair comparison after one rehearsal.

To summarise, I would happily use it at a gig. I don't have any plans to get rid of my Helix but the GX-100 could easily stand in for it and cover most (but not quite all) of the ground that the Helix does.

sorbz62 · September 2023

rich75 said:

I finally had the chance to try the GX-100 out at volume through the DXR10 at rehearsal on Sunday. So far, I'm pretty impressed.

First, a quick bit of background. I primarily use a Helix Floor and had been using an HX Stomp as a backup. Given that I seem to set up quite complex patches there are occasions when the number of blocks and switches in the Stomp don't quite cover everything I need without making a few compromises. The appeal of the GX-100 was therefore the 15 blocks and the increased number of footswitches compared to the Stomp.

Firstly, it was an absolute breeze to set up some presets to get me through the rehearsal. My patches tend to be variations on a theme with generally the same (or very similar) amp and drive settings but different patches where there are specific effects needed for certain songs. I managed to set up about 12 presets for the rehearsal in no time just using the touchscreen.

In terms of running it through the DXR10, that was very straightforward. You can set the output level to instrument or line level, and line level basically put in on par with the output levels from my Helix. I didn't encounter any unwanted noise. At gigs we go straight to PA (via the Helix XLR out) and use IEMs rather than backline so I haven't tried that yet. I have a DI box available if needed but I suspect it will be fine without so I'm not envisaging the lack of XLR output on the GX-100 being a problem.

The bluetooth module is very good and it only took me a few minutes to set up Bandhelper to automatically call up the right presets.

It's also very easy to set up footswitch assignments to call up individual effects, combinations of effects and/or change parameter values. From that perspective it works really well for live use. My only possible gripe at this stage is that I haven't yet found an intuitive way of calling up patches as you can't necessarily see the name of the patch you are going to select when using the bank switch buttons. If you know which patch number you are after then it won't really matter. There may be a better way of doing this that I haven't found yet but I haven't invested any time in it as I'm calling up presets from my iPad via Bandhelper anyway so it isn't an issue for me.

Moving onto the sounds, so far so good. I need to do a bit of minor tweaking to gain and volume levels and also some effects mix levels here and there, and also bring in some low cuts, but the core sounds are certainly there and it doesn't sound at all out of place against the Helix. The core sounds perhaps weren't quite at the same standard as the Helix but it took me weeks to get the sounds right when I first got my Helix (about 7 years ago) so it isn't a fair comparison after one rehearsal.

To summarise, I would happily use it at a gig. I don't have any plans to get rid of my Helix but the GX-100 could easily stand in for it and cover most (but not quite all) of the ground that the Helix does.

How does the GX sound Vs the Helix through the PA in a band situation? Which do you prefer?

rich75 · September 2023

sorbz62 said:

How does the GX sound Vs the Helix through the PA in a band situation? Which do you prefer?

The honest answer is that it's a bit too soon to be able answer conclusively. I'm not sure I've had the GX-100 for long enough to make it a fair comparison and I've used it once through a Yamaha DXR10 in a rehearsal room but haven't fired it up through the full PA yet.

So far the GX-100 sounds good and compares fairly well against the Helix. Sound-wise there isn't much in it - the tones are good and the FX are nice and clear, but somehow the GX-100 doesn't quite "feel" as good as the Helix. I think that might partly be down to me having overcooked the compressor settings when I dialled in the patches at home.

I'm also very familiar with dialling in the Helix having had it for so many years.

I think I need another go with it at a full band rehearsal before I can answer fully. That being said, as of today I would say both are very good but I would have to say I prefer the Helix for two reasons - (1) the playing feel, (2) the flexibility of the effects paths, switch assignments and snapshots. Obviously I was fully aware of the second point before I got the GX-100,and those are some of the features that you pay extra for in the Helix.

I will update after I next get a chance to use the GX-100 with the band.

noisepolluter · September 2023

I suppose I should update my thread - I went ahead and got one, very impressed with the sounds, and once I got my head around the send/return blocks and matching levels etc it’s very easy to use.

I mostly use it 4CM with a Marshall DSL40 (replaced a JVM I had at the beginning of the year), though I do also have some patches set up with virtual amps for headphone playing - the ability to use two amps in stereo makes a huge difference to the sound.

I will say I’ve been a bit slack about actually setting up patches, even though I also got the adaptor that allows Bluetooth editing and audio streaming - find myself slightly missing the immediacy of being able to fully tweak sounds on the fly with separate pedals, but that’s my own laziness and lack of familiarity with multi fx, and while I’m avoiding getting into A/B comparisons with separate pedals as that way can only lead to discontent, I’d say the sounds definitely measure up and I can pretty much replicate anything I’ve used previously.

On the plus side, less immediate tweakability means I’m (shock, horror) ACTUALLY PLAYING MORE. Also realising that I don’t actually use that many effects beyond reverb, delay and boost most of the time. Borderline sacrilegiously I think I actually prefer the treble/clean boost models on the GX100 to the pedals I have! The intelligent noise gate is also a winner.

Would be interested to hear from folks regarding how they set up/organise patches for 4CM use with the amp supplying all the drive.

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