ME-50 Review

The ME-50 Guitar Multiple Effects is a floor-based multi-effects processor built with the ruggedness and simplicity of a stompbox.

Ease of Use:	9.4
Sound:	8.9
Reliability:	9.3
Impression:	9.3
Overall rating:	9.2
Users rating:	7.4
Comments:	111

overall: 9

Featured review by: Geldof the Grey, on january 19, 2004

Purchased from: Gamlins Music Center, Cardiff

Ease of Use: Multi-effects units scare me. I can never get a good sound from them and the batteries always die when I finally do, so I have to start building up my tone from scratch which can take a fair amount of time. Seperate stompboxes have the advantage of being able to show you how they are set up through the position of the dials and so the Boss ME-50 also has a total of 20 dials which allow your tone to be created quickly and effortlessly.

Effectively, what you are left with is a chain of about 8 stomp-boxes. Tone Modify, Compression, Noise Supression and Reverb are all available along the top of the unit. Below, the three stomp-box style switches control the seperate Distortion, Modulation and Delay. Finally, and expresion pedal provides Wah, Octave and Volume services depending on how you set the associated dial.

The manual is very efficient and can teach how to use extraneous features such as the tuner easily and also explains how to save your patches in straight-forward English.

The ME-50 can be used in conjunction with two Boss footswitches which allow the user to change between different memory banks much faster. The memory system can perform very well without these devices. The ten banks can store 3 patches each so you can store three different sounds in a bank and then switch between those three sounds within that song. If there are more than three tones required for a particular song, then things get a little more complicated, and you would need to press either the small black buttons or buy an aditional footswitch.

Oh, and the tuner is easy to activate by standing on the Distortion and Modulation pedals simultaneously. The sound cuts out and you can tune without anyone noticing... nice feature. // 10

Sound: I usually plug either a Fender Strat-o-ma-caster via a wah pedal into the ME-50. This then goes out to TWO amps (Marshall, of course) which allows panning and rotary effects to be use effectively. The guitar you use, however, is of no consequence, since compression, noise supression and tone modification can give you practicaly any tone you require. A cheap acoustic, if well mic'd up can sound like a Les Paul.
The effects on the ME-50 are substantial to ay the least. Taking the Distortion section as an example, 11 tried and tested workhorses of the distortion world (including 5 Boss pedals, the Big Muff Pi and Marshall tube amp style distortion) are available. These individual effects can then be altered through the tone and bass controls and then just turn them up to get the desired effect. Any kind of distortion can be created using this unit.

Delay is comprehensive and allows numerous layering possibilities. The expression pedal can create many interesting sounds and includes two different Wah sounds and a bizzare effect called a Ring-modulator. I can also be used as an Octave or Volume pedal. However it cannot be all of these at the same time, so you need to make a choice...

Modulation includes Chorus, Phaser and Flanger, as well as panning, which fades the signal from left to right. This is most useful with two amplifiers as the sound fades from one channel to the other, rather than traditional sweeping volume controls. The only real problem arises if you want to use both Phaser and Chorus for example, which is not possible.

In short, any sound can be created using this device. Any artist's sound can be replicated and you don't have to spend hours programming the damn thing.

I'm only giving the unit 4 in this section because on occasion, people may want to use two efefcts at once which they cannot, although this almost never happens and so what I really mean is 4.75. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I would not expect this sturdy unit to ever be substantially damaged and I am happy to jump all over it without fearing it not working the next day. It is the imoveable object to my size-11's (UK sizes, mind) irresistable force.

I have also never experienced any power failures due to pulling out the cord, as a thoughtful hook holds the cable in place. Batteries or a power supply are required and a power supply is not included which lets the unit down slightly but they are easily acquired.

This unit practically sings, "Stand by Me" it's so damn dependable. // 10

Impression: If, like me, you like to play many different styles, the ME-50 can provide many different sounds and without buying many different boxes. The tone is completely editable in every way and so there is no real need to extraneous boxes.

I compared this unit, before I bought it, to many DigiTech, Boss and Zoom units and this is the only device I could plug into and get good sounds from straight away. It's very easy to use which is why I chose it over any other Multi-effects unit.

Within hours I had the memory system sussed out and had the bass, clean and Overdrive sounds from Seven Nation Army stored and was playing the song over, and over, and over, and...

That all said, there are a few problems with the ME-50. The Reverb is a little lacking and I feel the unit would benefit from a 2-digit display to more clearly show, for example, what note you are playing when using the tuner. Also, the lack of an included power supply seems a little cheeky as this purchase made my wallet look like it had been on slim-fast.

However, although it has it's shortcomings, the Boss ME-50 is definately the most comprehensive, yet uncomplicated Multi-effects unit I have ever used.

Oh, yeah. I wish it came in more colours... // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on february 28, 2005

Price paid: $ 402.6

Purchased from: n/a

Ease of Use: Easy to sound out of it you say? Easy as an incredibly tasty cherry pie! The manual is just a waste of box space. Everything is where you want it to be. It is so easy to set up your own patches, just set up your dials and press write, simple! Definitly a choice for peeps in need of some quality easy to use gear. // 10

Sound: I'm using mine with a Les Paul Studio and a crappy little amp, but it still sounds great although a more powerful amp is required in my case if I want perfection. The effects always sounds great unless your one of those idiots who takes it out of the box, and the first thing they want to do is turn everything up full and blast some power chords. That my friends is a foolish person indeed. As for effects 22 types of distortion! There are so many great effects, all so easy to use. The choruses and modulations such as flanger and phase modulation are great for giving your guitar a great sound. All in all it sounds great! // 10

Reliability & Durability: This is a very reliable piece of kit, it is built really well and is very hard-wearing. I would definitly use this at a gig although I would reccomend buying the extra foot pedals for quick patch switching as they can be very useful in a gig. // 10

Impression: This is excellent for most typers of music especially rock and metal. This is really good choice for new buyers of effects with a bit of cash, and also for experienced players looking for something good. Any bad points? Well Boss have been a little cheeky in making you fork out extra cash fo the power lead which is not essential but this thing goes through 6 batteries at a time. And it can be a bit of a kerfuffle turning on the foot pedal if your sittng down on your sofa like me, but its no problem if your standing. Apart from those very very minor niggles this a superb effects kit. And its built in tuner is handy! // 10

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: Jackie235, on february 11, 2008

Price paid: $ 366

Purchased from: www.Gak.com

Ease of Use: This is a killer effects box, and it is so easy to use. Just twidle the knobs until you get the sound you want and press 'write'. No nasty menus to scrole through and in the manual it describes what each effect does and what every knob does. Which I loved because the last effects box I had, the manual was really badly written. But this is awesome. I couldn't ask for more. // 9

Sound: I use this with my LAG Arkane guitar, plugged into a PA system. and it sounds better than an amp! the sound quality is amazing, and I could recreate any musician's tone if I wished to. I'm really into Steve Vai's music and this work's really well, the Wah is all you could expect from one in a multi-effects. And if, for example, I am using my Metal patch and there is too much buzzing, then all I do is crank up the Noise Supressor a little, and it does nothing to the quality of the sound coming out from the speakers. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I don't gig at the moment, but if I did, I would probably not have a backup as this is just so reliable, for as long as I have had it (several months) nothing has gone wrong, appart from my sister breking a cable which has nothing to do with the box. // 10

Impression: I'm into loads of music styles, but rock and metaly styles, mostly Steve Vai, is where my playing is, and this is a perfect match. I can't see mylself upgrading it for several years, and if it breaks, I'll probably get another one. I have been playing for 2 years and a bit, and I love the instrument, but I think before I got this, I was losing the passion to play because I was getting naff sounds from my amp and previous box. However I think this has re-kindled teh fire in my and the guitar's relationship. No longer am I afraid to crank it up to full, just in case the neighbours hear me and think 'oh dear another wannabe'. There is one thing that tickels me a little about it, and that is that the three pedals on the front mean I can alternate between patch 1.1, 1.2 and 1.2, but there is no pedal to alternate between 1.1 and 2.1, there are two buttons on the top of the unit, and that means I have to bend down and press it with my fingers, it's not a real problem, but it wastes a little of my valuable playing time, silly I know. So far it has everything I need, but I'm sure there are units with more effects, but I must say that I tried almost every other unit available in this price range, and this was the best. I wouldn't change it for anything! Peace Out and Keep Rockin! // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: MarkCP, on february 23, 2008

Ease of Use: I don't own one yet, but I borrow it when I jam with my band. This thing is the simplest multi-effect pedal I have ever seen or used. It is completely analog, which is great, no LCD screens or anything, just dials that tell you exactly what they do. All you need to do is bend down and tweak to your hearts content. That sounds a little weird, but I swear I'm not getting paid to do this, this beast has almost no drawbacks. // 10

Sound: I use a Schecter Hellraiser (again, not mine, my Ibanez 170gx is out of order at the moment) and a Marshall amp going to a Yamaha PA (I don't use any of my own stuff I guess). I can get any sound I want, easily, no question about it. The distortions, in particular, are great. Before I used it I didn't know there were so many kinds, but this one gets them all perfectly! The only minor downside is the wah, but hey it's a multi-effect pedal, what can you expect? I mean, it's not horrible, it's just auto wah, but it's nothing to brag about. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This thing's strong as an ox. Nothing can Hurt this bad boy, I wouldn't even think of having a backup on a gig. I would imagine that it will survive years and years of abuse, and then some. The expression pedal is solid, not to small, but not oversized, perfect for any kind of feet, and the three buttons themselves are widely spaced so that you don't accidentaly hit the other, and yet close enough so that you don't have to stand sideways just to tune your guitar. // 10

Impression: I play pretty much everything, and it can do anything I want it to, perfectly. I've been playing about two and a half years, and this is one of the best pieces of equipment I have ever used, besides that damned Hellraiser, that guitar is awesome. As I said, I don't own one yet, but plan on getting one in the near future, and if that were lost or stolen I would replace it in a heartbeat. I love everything about it, but especially the knobs, helluva lot easier to use than a digital readout. If in the market for a multi-effect pedal, buy this. // 10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: CWeavr, on february 19, 2007

Purchased from: Musician's Friend

Ease of Use: It's very simple to use. There are no menus, you just Pick the effect you want and set the settings. There are 30 preset patches that you can change to your likings or keep how they are. It's just like a chain of indivdual Boss stompboxes. To edit, all you do is find the patch you want to edit, press the "write" button, fix all the settings like you want them, and press the "write" button again. It's that easy. // 9

Sound: There are 11 types of delay, 22 distortion/Overdrive types, 11 modulations, and 4 types of reverb, plus an expression pedal with 6 types of effects(volume, wah, resonance, voice, ring mod, +1 octave, and -1 octave). I love the Distortion/Overdrives. They are based on other pedals such as the MT-2, DS-1, the Tube Screamer, Big Muff, and 18 more. The modulations are great too. There's rotary, harmonist, chorus, phaser, tremolo, pan, vibrato, uni-V, and flanger. One of the only things I don't like about the effects is the Wah. It's not deep enough for me, but it might be just fine for you. One thing I love about the ME-50 is that it has a "Tone Modifier". I love this thing. You can change your tone to "tight, mild, presence, fat, enhance, S-H (single pickup to humbucker), H-S (humbucker to single pickup), H-HF, hollow, and acoustic. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This is a Boss we're talking about. You couldn't hurt it if you tried. Solid as a rock. I would, and I have, definately use it at a gig without a backup. It does get sort of annoying to be putting all your weight on the expression pedal every time you turn it on and off though. // 10

Impression: I play all kinds of music, rock, ska, blues, ect., and it is perfect for all of them. I can get a great crunchy distortion for rock, a clean tenory sound for ska, and a smooth, creamy Overdrive for the blues. If I lost this one, I would definately buy another one. I love the effects, the distorion/overdrive, delay, everything about it. The only things I don't like about it is the wah is not as deep as I had wished, the Noise Suppressor is pretty brutal to your tone if you have it to high, and that Boss doesn't include a footswitch or an ac adapter. But all in all, I suggest you buy the ME-50 if you're are looking for a multi-effect pedal. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on april 25, 2005

Purchased from: Georges Music-Jacksonville Beach, FL

Ease of Use: This thing is awesome! It's so easy to work it and it makes even the crappyist guitar sound good. I don't use the patches alot but they are pretty nice to have. The manual is okay. It tells you how to work the thing, what the names of the effects are and what they do/what they are best used for. And, incase you like how the patches sound the manual tells you how to tweak settings (Dist/OD, MOD, Delay ect.) to get the sound of the patches without entering the memory bank. // 10

Sound: I use a Ibanez JEM555 ('97 model), Marshall MG15CD and a Dunlop GCB-95 Wah. The only time this is noisy is when you have the Dist/OD on about 1% above the "Turbo" setting and the Sustain and Sustain Vol. at 50%. That's not that noisy, it's just a small hum. Barely noticed it. The effects sound great, all of them! And yes, you can get the sounds of your favorite artists easy. My fav artists are AFI ('90s ver not the new), The Offspring, Vai, Ozzy Ozbourne and AC/DC. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Yes! // 10

Impression: I play rock, blues and metal. This is good for them all. I've been playing for a year and a half and I have an Ibanez JEM555, a Marshall MG15CD and a Dunlop CGB-95 Wah. I love everything about it and if some one stole it well they're gonna have one hell of a funeral! I would buy it again anytime! Compared to the DigiTech GNX series this this is better in sound, durability, price and simplicity. // 10

overall: 6.8

Reviewed by: KingFrusciante, on september 11, 2007

Purchased from: Sound Control

Ease of Use: The Boss ME-50 is a multi-effects system, it is packed with loads of different sounds and effects so many that you will never get bored. It is really easy to use as it has three touch pedals, distotion/overdrive, modulation and delay. There is also a Wah-Wah Pedal, which can be used as volume control, wah-wah, resonance, voice, voice, ring mod, octave +1 and octave -1. There is aslo loads of storage space which is really easy to use, you can create lots of strange and mangled sounds and save them for easy retrieval. It comes with a manual which is really easy to understand, you do not really have to read this but if you want the best out of it, I advise you to. // 8

Sound: At the moment I am using the Boss ME-50 with a Fender mexiacn strat and a Line 6 spider3 amplifier. The pedal also has its own master volume control and each touch pedal (dist/OD, mod, delay) also has a volume control so you can have it at any desired level of noise. The effects are always strong never weak. You can get the sound of your favourite artists, it takes time to perfect these but it definately pays of, suce as bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and nirvana. On a whole all the effects are really good. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Yes it is a really reliable piece of equipment for the reason that it is very strudy and well made. I wouldn't use it on a gig without a backup for the simple reason that anything could happen to it. // 5

Impression: My style of music is based on the Red Hot Chili Peppers which goes great with the effects on this pedal. I have been playin jut over a year now. I own a Fender Mexican Strat, Line 6 Spider III amp, Piranha cables. I would definately buy another one if it were stolen or lost. I love that you can create loads of sounds and never get bored with them. The thing that annoys me is that it is really heavy, but it is well built. // 6

overall: 9

Reviewed by: bass dude booze, on july 22, 2006

Price paid: $ 555.66

Purchased from: The Works

Ease of Use: I received this awsome pedal for my birthday, its my first pedal and it comes with a manual that tells you everything about it and how to use it. Its really easy to use, its got 3 foot switches (filter/tone), (drive/synth), (delay/mod). Plus it's got some sound compressors, and the expresseion pedal is easy to activate. It's got loads of options so you have to search for a bit to get a good sound. // 10

Sound: Well, the wah wah is not that great as I wanted it to be. I play on an ibanez sound gear bass bass and I can't find my rite type of wah wah. The octave shifter is great apart from when you put it on octave + there's a slight reverb. Distortion is great, its a nice crunchy sound for things like marilyn manson, stuff that Twiggy does. It's good for playing songs by Muse like hysteria or new born. I don't really like the Overdrive that much, it's got a nasty after effect of a big fuzz. the synth is great for playing the bass solo of Exit music by Radiohead. I can't really judge the chorus cos I never play songs with that effect. The phaser and the flager are very smooth. My amp (peavy micro bass) is not that great 'cause I have only been playin for 1 and a half years but that pedal sure did improve the sound with all the tones on it. You can mix the effects to make stuff like Whammy. I even put my sound 2 octaves higher so I cud solo just like on an electric guitar. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This pedal is rather big, so I wouldn't drop it because it is quite fragile. I've never dropped it but if I had it would have taken some damage. I have done a few gigs with it but I never used a backup. // 8

Impression: This pedal is great! Instead of buying a gejillion different pedals just buy this one. You'd save so much money. I bought mine in Swizterland in Geneva so it cost me like 550 Francs (366 euros). Plus you get a new lead with it so I reckon it's worth getting it! // 10

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: Angel of Death3, on may 09, 2007

Price paid: $ 274.5

Purchased from: Sound Control

Ease of Use: The Boss ME-50 is fairly easy to get a decent sound out of it and doesnt't need hours of reading through the manual before you can actually play anything with it. I had pretty much cracked it in about 10 mins but there are a few settings that need reading up on in the manual. Editing patches is pretty simple, although you have to delete the preset sounds to save your own sound this is not much of a downside. The manual is really useful and after reading it through there is plenty information on each of the different settings, and is great to refer for future refernce. // 8

Sound: I have a Dean ML and 270watt Peavey poweramp going through a pair of 700 watt Peavey speakers. Some of the settings such as the "metal" distortion setting, are a bit wild but with the the Drive control they are easy to tame. The effects are great and it dosn't take long to find one you really like. The artists I'm into are Slayer, Metallica, GBH and NOFX and I have been able to get most of their sounds. On the whole the ditortion, chorus and delay effects are great and there is lots of experimenting to be done. // 9

Reliability & Durability: The ME-50 has a fully metal body and thick sturdy plastic pedals and I think it would be hard to break it even if you wanted to so I would probably would use it without a back up. It hasn't failed me yet so I'd say it was very reliable. // 9

Impression: I usually play punk and metal and I think the ME-50 is a great match with all the different distortion effects. I have been playing about 7 years but this is my first pedal it is great value for money and is far more durable than other pedals in that price range. I love the fact that the ME-50 has other Boss pedals built into it my favorite being the MT-2 I also like the hold setting where it allows you to repeat a riff while you can play over the top of it. Overall this is great pedal in the price range and I have no regrets in choosing the ME-50. // 9

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: Ashwinder, on august 05, 2006

Purchased from: Professional Music Technology

Ease of Use: This unit is about as simple as it gets when it comes to multi-FX pedals, within minutes of getting it out the box and setting it up I was getting the sounds I wanted, which was made all the more impressive as it's the first pedal I've bought and used! Everything is clearly labelled and if further explanation/reference is needed then the manual is available and should be able to answer any questions you might have. Writing and Editing custom patches is also simple enough to do. The manual does everything it should with short but clear explanations on what each dial/knob does but due to the simplicity of this thing you don't really need to use it that much. You can also get several settings of the Boss website's interactive feature which can help if you just wanna get straight to it. the tuner is also easily accessible by pressing the distortion and modulation pedals at the same time, this is also labelled. Overall this thing is pretty much idiot proof, but if you want further guidance then the manual and website provide all the info you should need. // 10

Sound: At the moment I use it with a 1970 reissue Fender Strat and a Fender Mexican Tele, along with either a Line 6 Spider II 30 watt or a Marshall MG15DFX. Sounds great with either guitar and amp, however when used with the Marshall there is occasional fuzz. On several of the distortion settings there is also unwanted fuzz but this can be controlled with the Noisethreshold feature. I've found most of the fuzzy settings are when the variation feature is on but can be controlled with the noisethreshold. The distortion settings on this unit are great, with 22 different sounds to choose from. I use it for everything from blues to metal and it suits perfectly. The modulation settings do the job, I'm not really fan of phasers and flangers and stuff but they sound ok on this and seem to do the job fine. The delay sounds on this again sound fine with some quite cool extras like the reverse or the space pan option. Several extra effects are available through the expression pedal, including: wah-wah, 2 different octave settings (+1 and -1), voice, resonance and Ring modulation. All of these effects are ok, not amazing but definitely do the job. they can also be used in conjunction with any of the other three stompboxes. // 9

Reliability & Durability: So far the only problem I've had with this unit is how fast it goes through batteries. It takes six AA at a time, and goes through them pretty fast, about a week when used for an hour/2 hours at a time. However a power supply is available, which easily gets around this. Due to the fact that this thing has steel casing it can take just about any reasonable punishment you can give, but I wouldn't advise over doing it just because you can. I would definitely use this for a gig and am intending to. // 10

Impression: This thing can produce just about everything from acoustic (has 2 acoustic settings on the tone modifier) to metal and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone, from guitarists buying their first pedals to gigging pro's. Is also great value for money and has served me well so far. // 10

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: gibson-sg-rocks, on july 22, 2008

Purchased from: Billy Hyde Music

Ease of Use: This pedal is really easy to use. On the first day, I had no clue how to use it, and neither did the guy at the guitar store, he had no clue what the pedal did. So I took it home, read the manual, gave up on the manual, and figured it out for myself. I've only edited one patch because I was doing some experimenting with switching between patches in memory mode, I was seeing if there was a delay when you swap patches, and there is, so when playing Live, you can only really Switch patches in breaks of the song, when you're not playing. e.g when playing a song, say I'm on a mild distortion tone (on the first pedal), then I want more gain and a tremolo effect for the chorus, (so I press the second pedal, but there's a slight pause when switching). Other than that, it's pretty easy to edit the patches. The manual is pretty decent, I haven't really read it, but I will need to, in order to figure out what the "tap" and "hold" things do on the delay. // 8

Sound: I'm using a Gibson SG Standard through a 120w Laney Tube Fusion. I'm not happy with the distortion on the Laney amp, but it has a great clean tone, so I use the Boss Distortion on the ME-50. I just realised that this pedal has a "scream" Overdrive, which tries to copy the Ibanez tubescreamer 808, a pedal that I might buy soon. I usually use the BD-2 distortion to get a rockin tone. This thing isn't noisy at all, it will only buzz if I use a crappy cable. The effects are pretty good, I'm happy with the wah pedal, it's better than the wah on some Korg models in the same price range, their wah's are weak, but this is pretty good with the bridge pickup selected. I mostly play just rock, like The Vines, The Subways, Oasis, Kings Of Leon. It can copy some effects that Arctic Monkeys use on their "Fave. worst nightmare" album (like the "Teddy Picker" solo). It can do the intro to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day, using the tremolo effect. Using the same effect, you can do the intro to "Guerrilla Radio" by Rage Against The Machine. I can do Audioslave songs, using the 1 octave pedal, I can play "Gasoline", using the +1 octave on the expression pedal, I can do "Like a Stone". The 'rotary' effect can do the exact "Come As You Are" tone by Nirvana. And there's many more cool effects you can do. On the Boss website, there used to be some tips on creating some awesome sounds, but I think they got rid of that, that was very helpful. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I can definitely depend on this, I've played gigs with this with my band. The only thing that has gone wrong is the Ac adapter fell out of the electrical bank/socket, so the pedal switched off during a song at a gig, so you could back it up with 6 batteries just to be on the safe side. I would use it at a gig without backup. Oh, and one time during a gig, we were outside and it was daytime, so I couldn't see any of the lights, and I accidentally put it on memory mode, instead of stomping the "Mod" pedal, and I had the worst harmonist tone ever, and I was playing chords, and I couldn't really hear myself, so I kept playing while everyone was looking at me, thinking what the hell am I playing. The casing won't break unless you throw it off a cliff, however the pedals are made from plastic, so treat them with respect, I never really stomp hard on mine. But they are pretty strong. // 9

Impression: I just play rock, this pedal can work all round really, for blues, metal, even "Death Metal", because you can also get some horrible distortions with this. So I guess this is a good match for now, I want to get another distortion/OD pedal, and a new amp, but this pedal has all I need on it. Why go spending $250 on one delay pedal, when you have about 10 delay things on this. I don't really like the tuner on this, but it's the only tuner I have ever used in my life. I've been playing guitar for about 4 years now. I used to play this with my Jackson js30, because I used to be into some metal music, so I used to get some awesome Whammy bar harmonics coming from this. God knows why I bought the Jackson. The "pan" delay function is awesome with my crappy 10 w practice amp, if use the Left and Right amp inputs and place the amps at opposite sides of the room. If it were stolen or lost, I'd buy a 2nd hand one from e-bay, and deck the guy that stole it. What I love about it, it has all the effects I need. My fave feature is definitely the delay. I can record straight onto my laptop using this. I get a cable from the "Aux In" (in the pedal) to my laptop, and I plug my guitar in, and my amp in, so you can hear what you play while you record. Compared to the Korg multi fx pedal in the same price range, this one kicks it's ass. I just wish it came with an adapter. // 8

overall: 7.5

Reviewed by: TaV0, on february 18, 2009

Price paid: £ 80

Purchased from: Ebay

Ease of Use: This multi-effect unit is quite easy to use and includes a wide variety of effects and features some people would find quite handy and useful, it also includes a Chromatic Tuner and 30 preset patches which you can edit and replace with your own in a quick and easy way. A problem with this would be changing between patches or settings manually, so if you pretend to keep it for a long time, or to use it a lot (e.g. for gigs), I would recommend to buy a footswitch; that way, you can change between settings, or patches banks in a faster and easier way. If you want to get a better performance out of this multi-effect processor, I strongly recommend to read the manual, otherwise you'll be missing some important features. // 8

Sound: In general the effects included in this unit will get the job done, but by no means can be compared to the quality you'll get out of a couple of good individual pedals. For instance, the distortion is fairly weak except for a couple of settings. The chorus sounds a little too digital, but that's fine for me, I play mostly Post-punk, Noise Rock, Dance Punk and Shoegazing, so I do not see this as a serious issue, but people Who play other style (for example, clasic rock) would find this to be a serious problem. The Wah is alright, but I'm not quite a fan of it, so I guess I'm not really reliable on my opinion regarding it's performance on the ME-50. On the other hand, the flanger and phaser effects are pretty decent as well as the "voice" effect you can get out of the expression pedal. My current setup with wich I use the Boss ME-50 is a JTK2, a GRG170DX and a Custom guitar, and my amp being a Marshall Valvestate. // 7

Reliability & Durability: the ME-50 seems well built, I bought it second hand and still looks alright. I guess I would not use it on a gig, not because of the durability, mostly because of the sound quality, it just does not covers the standards for a decent gig, in my opinion. But I'd definetly take it to rehearsals and for room practice. I've read a couple fo reviews saying that the unit stopped working suddenly, which I find it hard to believe, since I've had no problem so far and I repeat, I bought it second-hand. // 8

Impression: About 6 months ago, due to a missfortunated incident, all my pedals got seriously damaged so I decided to buy a multi-effect unit until I could save enough money to replace my pedals. I bought the Boss ME-50 and can't complain so far, still I want to save enough money to replace my pedals. I've been playing for about 7 years now, and my favourite styles are noise-rock, post-punk, shoegazing, etc. So this multi-effect pedal satisfies my needs, but still guess I can get better. If it got lost or damaged, I would not buy it again, because I just bought it as a backup for my pedals but I would deffinelty recommend this effect processor to people Who has have no experience with stompboxes and wants to experiment a bit before expending lots of money on individual units, they will not be dissapointed. My overall impression is that the Boss ME-50 is quite good, yet, not impressive. // 7

overall: 8.3

Reviewed by: TjerG, on may 01, 2009

Price paid: € 200

Purchased from: da capo

Ease of Use: This pedal is one of the easiest multi effects pedals there is. There are just three footswitches and an expression pedal. Each one of the three footswitches is just like a single pedal. The Overdrive and distortion has five knobs: gain, low, high, level and one to switch between the different overdrives. There is another button for variation of overdrives, every Overdrive has a variation. The modulation has four knobs: one for the speed control, one for the depth, one for the resonance and one to Switch between the modulation effects.

The delay has four knobs: speed, repeats(feedback), level and one to switch between the different delay styles.

There is a manual, but I never needed it, everything is really clear. // 9

Sound: I use my Boss in this setup: guitar >> crybaby >> DigiTech Grunge >> MXR GT - OD >> Ibanez analog delay >> Boss ME-50 >> amp. The Boss is only a bit noisy when the gain is put up in the turbo Drive(maximum). There is no effect on the Boss that is weak, but you can make your own sound, so you can make the effects weak if you want.

You can easily get some sounds of artists, especially with the overdrives/ distortions, because these are copies of some famous stompboxes. Every effect is just how it should be. Although I don't really like to use the overdrives on the Boss. I like the sound of separate pedals better. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I can really depend on this pedal. It will never fail, unless the adapter gets pulled out. I have played many gigs with the Boss, it has never let me down. The sound is always the same, so I can do like: plug and play.

I would use it on a gig without a backup. But if it falls on the ground very hard, it will be broken. // 8

Impression: The Boss ME-50 suit's almost every style of music. I have been playing for about two years now. I've had this Boss for over a year. There is nothing you should ask for, because the Boss ME-50 is complete, it has almost every effect there is.

If it were stolen / lost, I would buy seperate pedals instead of another Boss, because I don't use all the effects on the Boss. My favourite feature/effect is the octaver in the expression pedal. Because I'm a big fan of Rage Against The Machine. I play killing in the name of with my band, so I can play the solo with the octaver.

I chose this multi effects pedal on advise of my guitar teacher, he uses them at lessons and gigs. // 8

overall: 9

Reviewed by: starland, on february 03, 2009

Price paid: $ 259

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: Ease of Use: The Boss ME-50 is very user friendly on a couple different levels. Three stomp pedals isolate major functions (1. Distortion, 2. Modulation, 3. Delay) and reduce the chaos involved in choosing from literally thousands of options on your hands. Independently each stomp pedal corresponds to eleven variations of the broader function. Variations are selected by turning a knob just above each pedal to the clearly labeled variation of choice. Each option is then able to be substantially tweaked by adjusting a series of knobs located just below the variation knob. Distortion can be manipulated by adjusting 4 corresponding knobs while modulation and delay are adjusted with three. Naturally each stomp pedal can operate by itself or in conjunction with the others.

A 4th foot pedal is stationed to the far right of the Boss and serves a dual purpose. At first it is volume control where pressure on the toe end increases volume and pressure on the heel end decreases it. However, once fully tilted at the toe end, an added touch of pressure will click on the red light signifying your volume pedal is now an expression pedal. In expression mode a new set of variations (Wah, Resonance, Voice, Ring Mod, +1 Octave, -1 Octave) are available and function independently exactly like the stomp pedals. Navigation through the options is as simple as turning the knob just left of the foot pedal. Just like any other foot pedal this allows you to manipulate your sound by rocking your foot back and forth.

At the top of the Boss are settings which do not correspond to a pedal (Tone modification, Compressor, Noise suppression, Reverb, Master Level). These are again adjusted by turning a knob. // 10

Sound: Sound: I’ve read a few reviews that knock the Boss for overtaking the natural sound of the guitar. I can’t help but picture all of their “level” knobs being turned up full tilt. Each stomp pedal has a level knob which dictates how strong the given effect is and maxing out on an effect is likely to reduce your sound quality. This is true of the other adjustment knobs as well, maxing out is likely to seriously alter your sound. There are instances where you’ll find reduced sound quality and I can’t say it is easy to overcome without experiencing your pedal and knowing how things interact with one another.

The top knobs affecting tone, compression, and noise suppression allow you to greatly influence the tone that comes out of the amp, although I feel as if they are overshadowed by the pedal options and thus mistaken for unimportant. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Reliability & Durability: In my experience the Boss is a beast. There are 20 knobs and 4 pedals on the face and in 3 years I’ve discovered how hard it is to wear any of them down. The knobs don’t come loose or pop off, at all. I’ve seen friends stomp on the face while walking through my room in the dark, I watched my dad drop it down the stairs moving me out of college, and on a few occasions my 12x6x6 room amp has fallen off the desk right onto it. It’ll last. // 9

Impression: Impression: I want to buy this pedal for you. Though not the best in any single effects category it’s the overall package that got me. Fresh out of the box I could use it without feeling a lack of control. I didn’t necessarily feel a command of the Boss but I didn’t feel hopeless either. The most valuable aspect of this multi effects processor is the ability to make your guitar really sound like almost anything you listen to. For example, one day a few years back I came across “Da Funk” by Daft Punk and went right to the pedal. If you want a taste of how dynamic the Boss can be find Da Funk on imeem and skip to 2:26. If you’re curious it’s Muff/square distortion (pedal 1) low level, phaser (pedal 2) low level, and ring mod (pedal 4) tweaking your foot around to the beat. // 9

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: weorge, on december 08, 2008

Price paid: £ 150

Ease of Use: This is a very simple effects pedal to use, you can learn how to use the mass of effects very quickly and features such as the memory bank are very simple to use as well. the manual explains all the features very well to. as for finding the right sound, that's a little more tricky. it's nto that you can't get a good sound, it's just that becasue there's so man yefects it complicates things and if your a perfectionist you'll be playing with the thign for ages experimenting with everything until you get the right sound, then you'll change your mind about what you want. But if you do invest the time exploring akll the effects you will get a good sound more quickly. if your not a perfectionist than you can get a good sound very easily because even Ringo Starr could operate it. // 8

Sound: The sound is very good, when you finally figure out hwat you want from it you can get it. I managed to get every csound I wanted from this, because it has so many options for everything, I'm playign it with a les paul standard (sadly only an Epiphone) and a Roland Cube 30X and it soudns very good, the only problem is that when you're workign with an amp like a cube, it can sound too digital, really I'd liek to playign it through a simple valve amplifier to get a less digital tone. The only problem with this pedal sound wise is the ridicuoulous amoutn of effects that you will simply never use, I'd rather they got rid of stupid effects like harmoniser and put the price down, and put on a EQ system which it doesnt't have for some strange reason. but the effe3cts you will use are plentifull and good quality. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This thing is dependable, I would comfortably use it on stage without a back up and I have done, no chance of breakign it unless your 5 years old. It tells you in the manual ot be carefull with and obviously you should be, but the fact is that it's pretty durable and the normal little accidents shouldn't cause you to much stress. // 10

Impression: It is an excellent effects pedal, and it has many extra's that are very usefull like a built in tuner and 30 setting memory bank. I was sad enough to work out what I would have to spend to buy all the individual effects seperately, and it makes this pedal look a real bargain. it mathces any style, so if your in a metal band and you suddenly decide you like jazz, it will work out fine you can do anythign with it. The only problem is that you can't use certain effects simultaniously, such as chorus and tremelo but unless your dave gilmour you probably wouldn't need to anyway. The fact that you can plug a microphone in it and use the octave up feature to make you sound like matt belamy more than makes up for it. // 9

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: Martin259, on june 16, 2008

Price paid: £ 159

Purchased from: Guitar Amp Keyboard

Ease of Use: This pedal is so easy to use, you get the hang of it in less than 1 Hour. Making a sound is as easy as turning a knob and pressing down on the pedal. You have over 22 distortion/overdrive effects, 10 modulation and 10 delay effects. It also has a built-in tuner which works perfectly and is so easy to use. The manual explains everything in Great detail, It helps you with everything in the pedal. // 10

Sound: I have used this pedal for my bass and my new guitar (Epiphone SG400 and Ibanez GSR200). It works great for both of these, finding the perfect sound so easily. Some of the distortion settings are a lot noisier than other settings which lets the Distortion down. With the distortion, you have Boss' best pedals put together as one, but they don't sound a lot like the real pedal. To be honest, you are best off just buying a single boss pedal. The wah-wah is a bit bad too, you only have the pedal and that Is it, you can't change the strength of it or anything which is a let down. You can't flick modulation and distortion on at the same time without it going into tuner mode which Is bad if you want a mixture of the the sounds. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I can depend on this pedal, it's cheap and great fun to play with. You have so many sounds to make and edit. I wouldn't actually use it at a gig, Because You can't flick two settings on at the same time without it going to the tuner or memory. It is reliable, it's made really tough and strong, durable too. Except the battery life sucks. // 7

Impression: I play a lot of music, from funk to metal. I can get any sound I want from this pedal. I have played bass for 3 years and guitar for 3 days and it works excellent for both, I wish it had a USB though so I could record directly to the PC, or have the USB power it. I also wish it had more control over the wah-wah effect. I love the distortion and modulation, I don't really use the delay effect a lot. The tone modify control is simply amazing, I can have my guitar sound like an acoustic or I can give it a fat chunky sound. // 9

overall: 9

Reviewed by: Martin Scott, on september 06, 2008

Price paid: £ 149.99

Purchased from: Birmingham NEC Music Live 2006

Ease of Use: I've had this for two years, now. It's been gigged, and is rock solid. It's the only Boss item I own (well, you could count my Micro Cube, since Roland own Boss, or the other way around), and it has definitely lived up to their reputation for building robust products made for the working musician. You can edit and store a whole bunch of patches on it, but to be honest, I only ever use it in manual mode. Not because the patch editing is difficult- I've just never bothered with it. The manual mode is good enough for me, since you can dial in things really quickly. Because I've never bothered with patches, I've also never bothered reading the manual. Suffice to say, manually, it is rather self-explanatory. // 10

Sound: I have used it through a variety of amps, and gotten similar strengths and weaknesses from the pedal from all of them. The modulations and delays are world-class, the distortions.. not so much. There's 22 distortion models (they are COSM amp/stomp box models), and I only really use a few of them. Some of them just sound really nasty. Some are usable, though. I particularly like "MODERN DS". I always use the pedal in front of any amp, and it's always performed well, noise-wise. There's never any noticeable addition of noise to the signal chain, aside from when one uses one of the terrible distortion models. There's also 6 really cool expressions for the pedal. Though the wah-wah will probably be your most used one.

In a nutshell, it's worth having simply for the mods and the delays. There's 11 modulations, and 11 delays. In my opinion, they are pretty much as good as any stand-alone unit, or so close that the difference is negligible. The built-in reverbs are also pretty good (better than the distortions, but not as good as the delays or modulations). There's an awesome noise gate, which really works great, and a compressor which I can never get to sound any good (that could just be me, though). There's also a tone-modifier that I never usually use. Basically, you can kind of make a humbucker sound like a single coil with it, and so on.

I'm going to give the sound of the uni an 8, for while most of the distortion models aren't all that (a few are good, though), the rest of the features more than make up for it. You pretty much could just have an ME-50, and then just buy your favourite stand-alone distortion box, and you'd be rocking. // 8

Reliability & Durability: The thing is as absolute tank. Metal construction, with heavy-duty knobs and buttons that are made to take a thrashing and still work. // 10

Impression: For a single item, and a pretty cheap one at that (as effects units go), I've been blown away by the ME-50. It totally adds to your sound and tonal options in many great ways. It even has a really accurate tuner built in. Really the only drawback is the plethora of bad distortions. Though within them are three or four good, usable ones to be found. So if three or four good distortions, a bucket full of world-class modulations and delays, sound features like a reliable tuner, a quality noise gate, a compressor (which I've no idea how good it is or isn't), reverbs, tone modifying, great expression modes on the pedal, and undoubtedy other stuff that I don't even know about, then get an ME-50. It's even at that sweet size that's just before the point where it's too big to take around easily. I can chuck my ME-50 in my shoulder bag. I would heartily recommend this unit to anyone. // 8

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: E V H 5150, on february 26, 2008

Price paid: $ 300

Purchased from: Local Store

Ease of Use: This device is fairly easy to use if you know what you're doing. If you know what each different section does, you'll be fine. And anything you don't know can be explained in the manual, which explains anything you might need to know about this unit. There are eleven different distortion choices (with a variation button that changes each, bringing the total to twenty-two), eleven different modulation choices, eleven different delay choices, six expression pedal functions, four different reverbs, a noise suppresor, compression/sustainer, and eleven different choices of tone modification. There is also a tuner function, and a patch function. After reading through the manual once, I was able to quickly begin making my own patches. I could have gotten by without the manual, but it just makes it that much easier to figure out. There are a lot of knobs- twenty, three stomp pedal, an expression pedal, and four buttons, to be precise. Figuring out how it works is simple, and is only made easier by the provided literature. One of the main factors that went into my decision to purchase this unit was that there were no menus I had to scroll through. I just Pick an effect, turn in on, and that's it. As for ease of use while playing live, it's not easy switching banks of patches unless you also purchase the footswitches that can Switch banks when in the patch mode. Those pedals also turn the compressor and tone modify on and off when in regular mode. // 8

Sound: I have used this effects unit through an old Peavey Bandit, a Marshall MG15DFX, and Fender Blues Jr. with such guitars as a Squier Strat, Ibanez ( I don't know the model, but it was a higher end Ibanez according to the owner), and my Peavey HP Signature EXP. I use it most with the Peavey guitar and Fender Blues Jr. because that's my current setup and anything else I was just messing around with. It's really fun to play through two amps at once. I hooked up my Blues Jr. and a Peavey Bandit up at the same time with the two stereo output jacks, and when using a light distortion with the phaser of flanger and one of the two pan delays, and maybe the wah or resonance, you can get some spacey sounds. I do get this horrendous hissing noise from the unit sometimes, when I use a lot of distortion. I don't know why, and I generally don't use the heavy distortion anyway. Otherwise, it's not really noisy unless you want it to be. The effects work just fine for me. Sometimes the wah doesn't really seem to sound out much when you're using heavy distortion. I don't know if wahs in general are like that, however. All the effects work just fine, depending on how much distortion you use. The tremolo can be a bit weak at times, with distortion. Basicly, if you use too much distortion, the effects won't sound out. I'm not very good at working with EQ at all, so I can't really get some of the sounds like Eddie Van Halen's brown sound. But I can get tones that I like. I may not sound exactly like Eddie Van Halen in terms of tone and playing skill, but I like what I hear, so that's fine. It really helped to clean up my Marshall MG15DFX. I have some recordings on my profile with my MG, and I got an excellent tone for Van Halen's 316 using the ME-50. So to those of you Who say the MG series sucks for cleans, you haven't run it with some good effects. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I can certainly depend on this unit. It's not like I'm going to do something stupid like hook two of these up together. The guy Who sold me the unit at my local store told me a friend of his did that, and one of the units got fried. Or both, I'm not sure. Anyway, if you're smart and store it properly and use it correctly, it will be fine. It's got a very sturdy metal casing, and the pedals are made of very hard plastic. I don't see this thing breaking down, and I know of some people Who have had their ME-50 for a very long time, and have had no problems. // 10

Impression: I play a mix of blues, metal, classic rock, and acoustic-chordy stuff. And for blues, I could get sufficient blues tones from my Blues Jr. but this certainly helps to get some dirtier blues for the dirty, dirty blues, which I really do love, with those slow bends and slow releases, and it sounds so much cooler when done with the wah. And for the metal, I'm talking about Iron Maiden to Black Sabbath. I don't use much high gain distortion very often. I can get some good tones that will fit for Iron Maiden or Black Sabbath. For classic rock, I can get some good Boston-ish tones, or maybe some Tom Petty. I like to play 80's metal stuff, too, and can get decent Van Halen tones, or some Bon Jovi sounds. I suck at working EQ and all that, though. I love this unit. I can't remember playing the guitar before it. How did I survive this long without a wah? I've been playing three years, now. I own a Marshall MG15DFX, Fender Blues Jr., Bad Dog Distortion pedal, Peavey HP Signature EXP guitar, and that's pretty much it. I pretty much knew what I was getting when I went in to buy it. I had studied by reading reviews like any good consumer should, and tried it out on numerous occasions. So it's not like I was walking in blindly, and anyway, the people at the store like to tell me random facts. So I didn't need to ask if it's wrong to hook up two of these together. And the manual covered any other questions I may have had. I don't quite know if I would buy another one of these. It's nice to have, but I think that somewhere down the road I'll be looking for dedicated pedals. Or maybe getting a bigger Boss unit, like the GT-8 or whatever it's called. Right now, this is just fine, and does everything that I expected and could wish for. I compared it to the DigiTech RP Series, which is a lot less expensive than this unit. I also compared it to some Line 6 multi-effects units. The ME-50 came out on top, because of the ease of use, what it could do, and because I could actually try it before buying. I didn't like the thought of the Line 6 very much because it just seemed like too much work to use, and the DigiTech just didn't seem to be what I wanted, with all the menus and whatever. I love the ease of use. The effects I use most are the tone modify, distortion (Blues Driver setting), reverb (usually MOD or the hall), suppresor and wah. Those are my favorite settings, and generally what I use. I can also get some really spacey sounds, which I just mess around with. I wish it did come with a power adaptor. That would have been nice, but I had no problem spending the extra $20 when the alternative was buying an unknown number of batteries over a period of time. I also wish it came in more colors. I wouldn't rate it down for that, because it's about the sound and functionality and not the color. But that would just be nice, I guess. // 9

overall: 10

Reviewed by: The Hog, on july 10, 2006

Purchased from: Long & McQuade

Ease of Use: Before I bought I had a Zoom 707 effects pedaland a wack of small pedals that I picked up at yard sales or pawn shops and they all worked great but I saw then this local band playing and the guitarist had Boss ME-50. After his gig I asked him about his pedal and he said it's best thing he's bought. So it got me thinking I need a change, so I did alot of research on it and then I saw one at my local music store on sale so I traded all my pedals in for the Boss ME-50 and it's the best deicision I've made. // 10

Sound: I have a Epiphone Les Paul Standard & a Epiphone SG Standard and amps I have a Marshall G50R and a Fender FM212R. The ME-50 works great with all of them. No funny buzzing or any feedback or any noises at all. With all the diffrent settings and tones I can get any sound I want. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This thing is built like a tank, I can use it anywhere and be worry free of it crapping out on me. I have and I will again use it on my gigs. // 10

Impression: I play blues/hardrock and this pedal suits it prefectly. My band and I have been playing together for about 3 to 4 years, I myself have been playing for about 15 years give or take. If it were stolen I would with out a doubt go and buy another one. I like the fact that it has all the Boss pedals I need and use, in it, so I guess you can say it's an all in one. When I compared it with others it was an easy decision and the fact it was on sale was a bonus. // 10

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: im-dizzy, on december 28, 2005

Ease of Use: This thing is a good little unit. The pre-made patches arnt that great, but it takes a minute to find a good sound, and then 5 seconds to save that sound over one of the patches. So in a matter of about half an hour you can overwrite all the 30 premade patches with 30 of your own. And they can be accesed pretty easy aswell. It stores the patches in banks of three, so unless you need more than three differnt sounds for a song, you'll be alright. The manual that comes with it is good, but you dont really need unless you want to do really complicated things. // 9

Sound: I'm using this with an Epiphone Sg. I have an Danelectro Black Paisly Distortion and Crybaby Classic Wah, both of which sound pretty good. I find myself using the ME-50 over these two. This is mainly because its easier to use, rather than sound quality, but the ME-50 sounds great. It gets noisy (mainly the metal settings), but its not unbearable, and the built in noise gate can handle most of it. I can get a good sound for just about every genre of music, at least most genres I know. I can get some nice distortion settings for metal, rock, classic rock, indie. There are some great clean sounds to be had aswell, if you use the reverb and different modulation effects. The Tone modify is nice, but I normally keep it in one position. I dont think any of the effects are neccisarily bad. I'm playing through a solid-state amp, and I cant wait to try this thing through a tube amp. I play any stle of music, but mainly metal and metalcore and I can get some pleasing sounds out of this. // 9

Reliability & Durability: It feels sturdy, and its pretty heavy aswell. I think this would last a while, providing I dont abuse it. I haven't gigged with it as of yet, but I think it could last without me needing a backup. It doesn't come with a power supply, but it does some with batteys. I've only ever used the power supply, so I dont know how fast it goes through batteries. // 9

Impression: I've been playing for over 3 years, and play many styles of music, but mainly metal and metalcore. I use this with an Epiphone SG and Marshall MG 50. I also have a Danelectro Black Paisly distortion and Dunlop Classic Wah. I looked into this pedal pretty extensively before getting it, and I can't say I'm dissapointed. It hardly breaks the bank, and you can get some really great tones out of it. If it were lost or stolen, then I'd either buy it again or save the money for a new amp. Or buy both because, put simply, this thing rocks! // 10

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: Bossman123, on july 10, 2006

Price paid: $ 352.8

Purchased from: Local Music Shop

Ease of Use: This is the follow on model from the ME-30 as far as I know. This is a very simple unit to use, although if you have not used any modulation or delay pedals before they can be a bit tricky to figure out. If this is the case however, the manual explains all of these effects and how to use them. It has 33 preset patches any of which can be deleted to allow you to store your own patches. If you follow the instructions in the manual you should have no problem creating your own patches. To use these patches, all you have to do is step on the Delay and Modulation pedals at the same time, you can then choose between 3 different patches although to properly switch between these patches without having to use your hands, you really need a footswitch. The tuner function is also operated by steping on both the Overdrive/Distortion and Modulation pedals at the same time. I find that this can sometimes cause problems when gigging, sometimes I go to turn ot the distortion but accidently depress both the modulation and distortion pedals causing it to go into tuner mode and my guitar to go silent. // 9

Sound: I play an American Fender Stratocaster through the ME-50 into a Roland Cube 60 amp. The only time that the ME-50 makes any real noise is when you use either the DS-1 or MT-2 distortion setting, but this can easily be controlled with the built in noise surpressor. With eleven types of distortion/overdrive (5 original Boss and 6 Cosm models) which come with Drive, bottom end tone and level adjustment knobs and 10 types of tone modification you can get any of your favourite guitarists sounds. The modulation effects(3 types of chorus, Phaser, Flanger, Harmonist, Tremolo, Pan, Vibrato, Uni-Vibe and Rotary) sound great and are very easy to use, they feature a rate/key knob, a depth/harmony knob and an E.level/ Resonance knob. There are eleven types of delay (0-30ms, 25-125ms, 100-150ms, 400-2000ms, slow echo, pan, space pan, reverse, hold and tap) these are set by a time knob a feedback knob and an E. level knob. The expression pedal has just about everything you could hope for. It has Wah, Resonance, voice(supposed to make your guitar sound like a human voice) Ring Mod(I'm not sure what its for exactly but it makes your guitar sound insane) +1 octave and -1 octave. and of course it can also be used as a volume pedal. this is pretty good although I find that the wah pedal leaves a lot to be desired. There are also 4 different types of reverb: Room, Hall, Spring and Modern all of which sound absolutely great. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This is definatly a dependable unit, it can really withstand punishment and has even been known to support my full weight when I foolishly try to turn on two pedals at the same time! I would use it at a gig without any backup and I wouldnt be worried about it letting me down. // 10

Impression: I play mainly punk, rock and classic rock. But it doesn't matter what style of music you're into, the ME-50 is suitable for anything! Unfortunately as with all Boss products no power adaptor is supplied and the adaptor is quite expensive. If it was stolen I would definatly buy a new one. The only thing I dislike about this pedal is that you can only use one type of modulation effect at a time but this has yet to cause me any problems. // 9

overall: 8.3

Reviewed by: stonewall_39, on december 27, 2005

Price paid: $ 200

Purchased from: eBay

Ease of Use: The main reason I chose to purchase the ME-50 was its ease of use. It's interface is all based on knobs to control parameters. This allows using the effects manually instead of through patches if desired, but you're limited to one distortion/overdrive, one mod, one delay, and one expression. The unit is able to hold 30 patches to store settings. Editing patches is fairly straight forward, but requires pushing a few buttons, so it isn't easily accessible on the fly. I did not get a manual, but have looked at the pdf file in Boss's website and it seems pretty thorough. // 9

Sound: I run the ME-50 using a pair of Ibanez guitars (GSA60 and GRX20) and a custom-built guitar. My amp is a Behringer GX110, which has a horrible Overdrive channel. This forces me to rely on the ME-50s overdrives/distortions. Some of them are pretty good, like the Boss models (they better be), but the models of some others aren't great. The mod effects are ok, but again not of highest quality. The delays are great, which include a tap tempo feature. Expression effects are so-so. I don't feel there is enough sweep in the pedal. Other options include tone modification, compressor/sustain, noise suppression, and reverb. The noise suppressor and compression features are swtichable with external Boss FS-5U footswitches. // 8

Reliability & Durability: The ME-50 is encased in a metal shell, and it seems pretty rugged. The expression pedal is plastic, but if you're serious about gigging I would get a better wah pedal anyway. // 8

Impression: I play mostly rock and some blues. The ME-50 allows me to use some pretty decent effects. I've played for about four years and its served me well. If it was lost/stolen I would probably go out and get individual boxes for what I use most. The ME-50 allows someone to have a wide variety of effects on hand. The knob interface is definitly a plus over others such as the DigiTechs. Overall, it's a dependable pedal to fiddle around with. // 8

overall: 10

Reviewed by: metallizer, on august 03, 2005

Price paid: $ 379.24

Purchased from: Wellington Rockshop

Ease of Use: It's easier than easy. You don't even have to have a decent grip on the English language to get familiar with this unit. It's very organic, no menus, just twist the butons and experiment. The manual is good, and you have the option of using it as a row of stompboxes (manual mode) rather than saving patches, which you can also do. Editing patches is easy, but I only ever use this thing in front of the amp, as a row of stompboxes, which is what it does best, and is what it was designed for. // 10

Sound: I use this with a range of amps, both tube and solid state. I am a fan of active pickups as well but do use passive pickups for the less 'agressive' styles of music I play. It's not a bit noisy and if you let your amp do the work, you dont need to worry about it at high volumes. Saying that I cranked it through a ten watt scrap amp and I was suprised how nice and defined it sounded before I blew the tiny speaker in the amp. I love the effects and happen to think they rival, if not in most cases better their analogue counterparts. I particularily love the stereo chorus and the OD2 setting. I am predominantly a metal player, but my clean sound and lead sound are just as crucial as my heavily distorted rythym sound.

This unit covers most bases regarding signature sounds. Here are a few of my favourites. Edge (U2): compressor, mod reverb, pan delay, vibrato, and noise gate on. metallica justice: comp, slight hall reverb, noise gate, slight stereo chorus, and the gain cranked on the guvnor setting. I find that the guvnor setting is probably the most workable distortion setting, and has way more useable gain than the metal settings. I love the rat for '60s sounds, the OD2 for classic rock songs, and lead work. Overall the sounds are great. I rate them over most analogue effects, full stop. The fact that this unit is so cheap adds to its appeal. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It's a Boss pedal. To an educated guitarist no more needs to be said. For those moving away from DigiTech plastic crap and Zoom doorstops, Boss is the way to go. They offer the best near studio quality effects at an inexpensive price, which is within reach of almost any guitarist. It's made of metal, and all the parts are durable enough. Like any piece of valuable equipment it should be stored in a proper carrying case, and cleaned regularily (I use slightly damp cotton ear buds). Like any Boss unit it is bomb broof and will probably serve me, and outlive me. // 10

Impression: I'm a metal player, who likes to experiment with many styles of music. I love rock and funk and even rap. This unit covers all the ordinary effects you could want to explore, with an extraordinary quality and clarity which more than satisfies me. I waited for this pedal to arrive in new zealand for 9 months and bought it within 5 minutes of playing it. I knew it was the right one, and for someone who is looking to get into effects, this really is in my opinion the benchmark. You will find if you buy this unit, what effects are essential to your signature sound, and will have a multitude of others at your toes if you get the itch for something different. I continue to use this unit heavily and with my other expensive analogue effects.

I use this pedal exclusively for my 'clean' amplification. I saved 3 patches which I like to use for clean, as well as having the manual mode set to a very light Overdrive so with the tap of the 2 first pedals, I have a different sound still. I have 1 clean with thick stereo chorus. I have 1 clean with vibrato (my favourite) and the pickup sim set to hum-single. And 1 clean with the above with the digital panning delay set to around 400ms, or 220ish if I'm using another delay pedal with it for that quintissential EDGE sound. It's great. I don't regret buying this unit a bit. I researched this effect heavily before I bought it. It's like any effect, if you know what it is and and what it does best, you won't be disappointed when you buy it. Totally reccommended. I am not being paid by Boss either, or bloody sponsored. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on august 02, 2005

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: Very simple to get good sound out of it. I run 3 different variation overdrives before it to get different variations. // 10

Sound: The Muff, Govner and Rat are excellent choices for emulating guitar greats. I play the Govner with Angus and I feel as if I am on stage next to him. Jury is still out on chorus, I have to find the right setting, but I know its there. The OD-2 can get some great sounds. I am not much of a metal head, so the MT-2 isn't appealing to me, just sounds like a DS-1 through a Wah, overrated. I am not too crazy about the Tube Scream, the mids sound too strong. Also I have a GE-7 to punch clarity. I also have a Boss volume and Morley Wah to compensate this set up. Rocktron Nitro pushes it a little closer to the edge, as well as an Aphex Exciter. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This is absolutely 100$ reliable. Punch your personal settings and you are good to go. // 10

Impression: I've played about 24 years. I have several vintage guitars. I play electric blues. I sold all my stomp boxes to simplify and I bought this over the GT-6. I don't understand why you would want to subject yourself to a website (GT-6) just to figure out how to use your effect. This is much simpler. The simplicity is where the unit is at. I still have pedalboard spillover, but this is the heart of my sound. Even the MXR sounds perfect. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on march 16, 2005

Price paid: $ 259.99

Purchased from: Tom's Music

Ease of Use: This unit is usable right out of the box with no experience. Getting awesome sounds takes some adjusting, but you can get a feel for the effects without ever looking at the instructions. Everything is arranged well and easy to understand. // 10

Sound: I am using a standard S101 guitar and a Peavey Rage 158 amp. The turbo setting on the distortion/od effects just seems to kill the whole sound, but with lower settings, the ds/od effects are very good. The modulation effects are great. Even my cheap guitar sounds very good with a light modulation effect. Again, too high on the effect and the unit kills the individual notes and has some feedback. That could just be the way effect pedals work, I'm not too familiar with them. The wah pedal is sensitive and sounds smooth when you push it, making good transistions. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I play fairly to very heavy music, and as a result tend to stomp the poor thing a lot. It has stood up to the abuse, the switches still work properly, and I have never had a problem with reliability factors. // 10

Impression: I compared this to the new Fender amp with digital effects and backup built in (I forget the model number), and the sound quality was much better with this unit. You can get a little more customization of the effects on seperate pedals, but the cost of all the included effects on this unit being bought seperatly is sky-high. If this one ever went out or got lost, I would definitely buy a new one, or the next model up (again, forgot the model number). I am very satisfied with this unit and have gotten everything I've expected out of it. Bar none, this is an excellent Machine for those who don't need the control of seperate effects, or can't afford many seperate effects. // 10

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: bassetrox, on april 20, 2006

Price paid: $ 364.17

Purchased from: Sound Control Newcastle

Ease of Use: Brilliant! That is what I love about this pedal! And I'll probably mention it several times more in the next few minutes. Completely idiot proof technology in manual mode, plug-in and bang on the pedals and twiddle the dials. When I bought this I was comparing it to the Korg AX1500G (cheaper and packed with features) and the Boss GT-8 (pricey and need a degree to work it). I plumped for this pedal, because I could dial up sounds in a matter of seconds without having to use dreaded menus. Writing patches on the memory is also very easy. Setup the pedal, press write, choose bank and patch and press the write button a couple of times. The manual is simple, though its not necessary to consult it after a few minutes of use. Gives the details of the factory preset patches, but because the maximum value for each effect parameter is not given, I am uncertain of how to read parts of the table. Overall, this pedal is free of the dreaded menus that have annoyed me with previous pedals and sounds can be produced in seconds, so I give it 10 for ease of use. // 10

Sound: High sound quality, low hum. Can't complain. Obviuosly the high gain dist and od make a racket, but minimal use of the noise gate can normally sort this out. After 5 minutes the overall sound blew the AX1500 away. Though that unit is capable of some nice sounds once you have fiddled through the menus. The Drive settings are generally very good, although I sometimes long for a bit more beef on the OD-1. I generally use the OD-2 and crunch settings the most. Mod, chorus flange and phase very good, I havent found a use for the vibrato or the UNI-V that the website rates so highly. Harmonist lead lines can sound pretty impressive when coupled with metal distortion, though its cheating of course. Delay, it delays, nowt special. The hold function can create a 2 sec "loop" function that must annoy the neighbours. Reverb leaves something to be desired, no subtlety, gets very muddy very easily. But its acceptable Compression, priceless. Although the controls are a little limiting, level and sustain. An attack dial would be an improvement Tone Mod, I use as little as possible. Expression pedal, the one place where the AX1500 really shone, the me50 has a reasonable wah and resonance, the voice wah is not that great, if you want living on a prayer vocoder (if you're cheese inclined) use the AX1500. pedal pitch shift is only 1 octave +/-. compared to many pedals that offer 2 octaves. I never got the point of ring mod. I probably should have mentioned the memory banks by now, but they are easy to forget about as I use the manual mode more often. Basically there are 10 banks, each with three patches, chosen by the 3 stomp pedals. Bank can be changed via an external 1 or 2 pedal Switch (obv it doesnt have to be a Boss one, I use a Marshall that came free with my amp. It's so easy to create and recreate sounds in the manual mode that I don't bother with the banks for practise and rehearsal. If I'm gigging, I store settings I need in the first few patches the night before. I give this pedal 8 for tone and features, my only complaints being the reverb and the compression. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Great. If you threw it at someone, it would demolish their house and not affect the pedal. As has been said before, it's a Boss. I would use it without a backup. // 10

Impression: I play all kinds of music, jazz, pop, rock, I use this pedal for all styles and it suits me well. I have been playing for 5 or 6 years now, before I bouoght this pedal I used a Zoom 505 #2, so this is a big upgrade. I usually play an Ibanez Artcore (lovely hollowbody, great sound for the price) through this pedal and into a Marshall 80 watt acoustic combo (I like this amp for jazz, and it works well for other styles too) or occasionally a Laney 65watt combo I wish I had waited a week before purchasing this pedal, as it was £30 cheaper next time I was in the store! If it were stolen/lost I would probably buy it again, unless something new crops up The thing that sets this pedal apart from other multifx units is the ease of use, it takes barely any time to create impressive tones. Improvements? I would look for a 2 8VE pitch shift and more compression options. Improved reverb. And maybe some envelope functions? Based on the above ratings I should really give the pedal an overall 10, but nobody is perfect! // 9

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: Lick_Soloist, on august 02, 2004

Price paid: $ 402.6

Purchased from: Piedog.com

Ease of Use: Looking at the peddle first off you feel like screaming, so many dials. There are more than 12 different overdrive/distortion models but give yourself some time, select a model, then adapt the drive, tone, low end and treble as you would on a normal effects pedel, can't be any simpler. That goes for the rest of the pedles, select the type of effect, adapt it to your taste! Can't be easier, however, the expression peddle is a problem when changing from volume to expression as it requires quite a stomp to change between modes. There is a manual which is ok, but I never really look at manuals! This peice is easy as pie to use! // 10

Sound: Ok, so Boss state it isnt a modeler, good point. It isn't but the preset model types are named after different types of peddles such as the screamer and the Fuzz Face, both classic peddles. Then adapt the sound. It's easy, sounds brilliant, It puts the old 30 Watt Marshall to shame! The effects are cutting and depending on depth they can be altered to just a background noise to a sweeping pyscadelic sound which makes your guitar sound like a ray gun!

All the effects are brilliant, top notch! I have got so far, A perfect Clapton sound, Pumpkins sound, Hendrix sound and Slayer sound. These are all very different artists from different genres you will agree but the ME-50 does it all! Particular effects which are supreme are the Screamer modeler, The Boss HM-2 Modeler and the tremelo but they are all soooooo good! // 10

Reliability & Durability: Ok, so it's perfect when it comes to ease and sound but something holds me back on this peddle and it is a fault found with many a peddle. It chews through batterys, My option was to buy aload of rechargables and bam! Problem solved but if you dont have the means for this type of equipment then seriously think about the purchase. Also all the peddles seem week due to them being made of plastic, Stamp on them too hard and that peddle board has gone. I would gig with this peddle board as it will stand up to a beating and at my finger tips I can alter my set if we have a song request or a change in playlist. // 8

Impression: For a guitarist who will play all styles of rock, metal, blues and anything he can get his hands on its a perfect match because it does it all. However ounce purchased and having had the thing for a while now I wish to start buying seperates so I can have those for gigging and I can customise my own tone! // 10

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: OrderedChaos, on june 28, 2006

Price paid: $ 199

Purchased from: Ebay

Ease of Use: This is the easiest multi effects pedal there is out there. There are no menus no having to search through hundreds of effects its all right in front of you. It's simple and straight forward, there is a distortion section, modulation section, delay section, and expression/wah pedal. Each of which comes with a dial to select the type of effect desired, followed by (with the exception of the wah) three other dials to change and shape the effects to your desired standards. It also has reverb, a noise gate, a supressor, a tone modifier, and a memory bank to save the exact positions of the dials if want. // 10

Sound: I play this through an Ibanez, Schecter and Dean, and it works fine with all them and plays well through any amp. You can pritty much shape any effect to fit your personal preferance. All the effects sound and work great though the voice box could be a little stronger. This pedal has a few effects made just for it, for example the space pan and uni v, the space pan is an amazing effect that adds echoing and paning in one. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This is a steel box and a Boss, you could throw it out of a moving car and it would still work. I've used it in many gigs without back up and have had no worries with it. // 10

Impression: I play everything from blues to metal/neoclassical and this pedal fits all of my needs. I got it for a great deal new off of ebay for 199 rather then its list of 299, had I not been able to get the deal I still would have gotten it. If it was lost or stolen I would get another one without thinking about it. There isn't really anything I dislike about this unit, compared to other multi effect pedals this one stands above them all due to its simplicity of use. I wish it had a longer battery life (it takes 6 aa). // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: lloydperry, on august 06, 2004

Price paid: $ 411.75

Purchased from: N/A

Ease of Use: It's incredibly easy to use, you can edit each effect as if it were a single pedal which makes it like havinga whole load of pedals in front of you only a lot easier to use. There's a good manual that came with it which really helps and shows you all its capabilites. It's great to use and is all you really need. // 10

Sound: I use an SG with it going through the ME50 then a jim Dunlop wah and then a Line 6 210 amp and the tones I can get from that combo are phenominal. You can vary it to whatever you want and it'll always be gr8. You can get the sounds of almost any artist from the ME50 you just have to mess around with the settings, the crunch, the metal, the stack the Fuzz Face, are all really good distortions. The chorus is gr8, the modulation reverb is brilliant, the only things that arent really good are the wah and the ring modulation expressions, theyre the only effects that arent really good on the pedal. The memory mode is really useful aswell. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It's very durable, and I'd use it in a gig without backup, I can't see why any1 wudn't. // 10

Impression: I play lots of different styles from all different kinds of rock and metal to some blues and some clean stuff, and its great for all of those, I think its great for the money and is one of the best thigns I've ever bought. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: Night Revolver, on october 27, 2004

Price paid: $ 384.2817

Purchased from: Anderton's Music

Ease of Use: It's multi-effects pedal at it's simplest. It is unbelievably easy to operate and everything is set out logically. You really don't need to read the manual. You can operate it straight out of the box without any hassle. The best thing about it is the COSM modelling technology. You can get so much freedom over your sound. Everything about it is simple and easy! // 10

Sound: It makes a 100 bucks guitar sound like 1000. The distortion on it is sweet. There are about a dozen types of distortion, each sound you can change the tone using the knobs. The effects are not too shabby either. The middle stompbox is the main effects unit. The third stompbox is for delay. The expression pedal is slightly disappointing, but it's no big problem. You can get any sound you want from it as long as you have an experienced ear. None of the effects are poor quality, apart from some on the expression pedal. The sound definitely lives up to the brand name. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It's built like a tank. It's case is made out of solid metal with a cool blue chrome finish which I personally like. The pedals and the stomp boxes themselves are extremely durable and shouldn't break. It's amazingly tough. Boss have done a great job on the durability. // 10

Impression: This pedal is for any type of music. It's suitable for everyone, but I don't think it's for beginners. It's for intermediate guitar players and up, as it doesn't rely on patches, although the manual shows a list of patches you can use. // 10

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: VLVTRVOLVR13, on may 04, 2006

Price paid: $ 299

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: The ease of use is incredible on the Boss ME-50. With the turn of a knob you can Switch between several different effects and manipulate them to satisfy your need. There are endless posibilities in this extremley versatile processor. There are editable banks, each with 3 patches that are preset to one of the three stop pads on the Boss ME-50. This means you can have three different effects in one set. The manual does a good job of explaining how to work it, but I hardly referenced it. // 10

Sound: My setup is either a Fender Strat HSH with Swinesheads or an Epiphone Les Paul Custom with a Vox 100 watt combo, and when I added the Boss I had everything I needed. It's a little noisy on the higher distortion settings (octave fuzz), but is controllable with the noise gate feature. I can get all the sounds of my favorite artists: Billy Corgan, Tom Morello, Jimmy Paige, Kurt Cobain, Steve Vai, SRV, Clapton, Henderix, and many others. It comes with multiple distortions and overdrives that stay true to their organic tone. The chorus, flanger, phaser, rotary, and other modulation effects are beautiful. There is a handful of delays too, and the expression pedal w/ wah, rotary, volume, and octave settings is a blessing to have. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Very reliable, great dependability, deffinately better than the cheapo plastic DigiTech I have now! Take it to gigs is a must! // 10

Impression: I play all styles and it matches very well. I've been playing near two years, and it's my second multi effects, and probably my last. I'd certainly buy another. Theres so much I love, but probably its ease of use. There isnt any menu scrolling that is typicall of DigiTech MEs. The expression pedal rocks, the tones, sounds, effects that are replicated by the Boss ME-50 are unimaginable. Get out there and try one. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: BlinkBlinkBlink, on march 31, 2005

Price paid: $ 316

Purchased from: Tom Lee

Ease of Use: No manual required. Just plug it in and you're ready to go. // 10

Sound: Read the forums, I mentioned somewhere that this is just a stomp box. Turn the dial, it's another stomp. So theres no sound quality for sound quantity compensation. Rock music - Nirvana, AC/DC, RHCP, Led Zepplin, all these guys are easily imitated using this box. I run a Gibson '61 Reissue SG, Boss ME-50, Mesa Boogie Head, Marshall 4x12 Cabs for gigs. It's great. When I'm at home, I use an Ibanez SZ520QM through a Randall RG100G2 and it still sounds great. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This is Boss guys, full metal chasis. No need for back up. // 10

Impression: Rock music is what I play, and this box is basically just Boss stompboxes. I've been playing for around 7 years now, I have Line 6 Vetta full stack, Marshall full stack, and a Spider II full stack which I sold 'cause it's so crappy. I got 3 SG's, Reissue and 2 Standards. I got a few other guitars, a Telecaster Deluxe Standard Tele, Highway Strat, and 2 Ibanez's and 3 Yamahas. So I know lots about guitar. I also got lots of money to throw around, I got the GT6, GT8 live and they're not that great. So just get this one for christ sake. // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: RHCP_rock, on january 24, 2006

Ease of Use: The ease of use is the best thing about this Machine. It has no complicated menues and its just like using a row of stomp boxes. It is easy to make new patches but I don't really use them because you don't need to when the effects are so easy to use without them. I've only browsed the manual but it looks good to me. // 10

Sound: I use it with my Marshall amp and American Fender Strat it sounds amazing you do get some noise with the siglecoils but thats where the noise gate comes in handy the effects all sound good to me apart from that a few are better than others. I can get that Chili Peppers sound easily with this so overall a great sound. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I can deffinitley depend on this Machine because it is made as solid as they come. Not like any Zoom or DigiTech stuff that's made of cheap plastic. In fact if there was a nuclear war the only things left on the earth would be Cockroaches and Boss products. // 9

Impression: I play lots of rock stuff and this Machine can pull off pretty much any type of music. I am fully satisfied with the product and if it were stolen again then I would buy the same one even if I could afford the GT8 because of the ME-50'S ease of use. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on september 15, 2006

Price paid: $ 160

Purchased from: Guitar center

Ease of Use: This unit kind of scared me at first, because I have only used one stompbox in my life and that was the Boss mega distortion. However, when I started using it, I realized that it was very easy to get a great sound out of. just a flick of the wrist on a few knobs and I could get some crazy tones, from acoustic, to Incubus, to In Flames. it also makes it very easy to store your own sounds, although I would like to get the footswitches so I can switch banks on the fly. // 10

Sound: I use this unit with my Ibanez RG3EX1 and my Crate glx 212 amp. I actualy bought this so that I could get some softer distortions from it. My amp had already had some hardcore metal distortion, but I could never find anything soft on it. This unit can be slightly noisy, but it has a noise suppressor that works pretty damn well in my opinion. The effects always sound top knotch, and I especially like using the trem, vibrato, flanger, and phaser. They let me get a funky sound out of it while keeping the sound intact. // 10

Reliability & Durability: While I have not had a chance to gig with this unit yet, I believe that it would be 100% dependable. I would No Doubt use this unit without a backup because it is solid as a rock. I am hoping to get a large amount of tompboxes in the future when I get more moolah, but I am low on that now so I will have to wait, for now this is perfect for me. // 9

Impression: I play mostly metal, but I also like some punk stuff as well as funk and ragae. This is perfect for all types of music because of the huge amount of versatility in the unit. I have been playing for about 4 years now and the only other pedal I have is a Boss mega distortion pedal. The only thing I didn't like about this product is that it doesnt't come with the AC adaptor, which is about another 15 bucks to purchase. I think if this were stolen I would be angry, but I would continue collecting stompboxes, because everyone knows stompboxes are better. I compared this product to a lot of Line 6 products, mainly the POD and POD XT. I chose this unit because it has a more analog sound, while the Line 6 stuff sounds a little artificial and digital. // 10

overall: 8

Reviewed by: rockstar_jones, on july 11, 2006

Purchased from: Barossa Music

Ease of Use: It's pretty easy to get a good sound out of. everything is easy to activate and adjust and everything is labelled well and easy. The manual tells you everything you need to know to be comfortable with it, but I'm sure in an hour or 2 you could figure it all out without it. The patches are straight forward but I still havent perfected the volume leveling thing for each patch so when I change theres sometimes a big level difference. There is a bit of a delay switching stored patches. I've found theres sound quality variables depending on the inputs and outputs you use/mess around with. // 7

Sound: I'm using an Ibanez Iceman and a Randall RG200 with it. I prefer the amps distortion as it has alot more crunch to it and sounds less digital, in some respects - depending on genre eg metal distortion or light gain. The noise gate works well, but can kill a pit of the natural sustain of the guitar and limit the harmonics. I love the delay effects and the chorus effects on it, and I used to use a squire single coil through it and tweak the settings from Single to Humbucker and it made the crappy guitar sound much better (for what it was). The wah of this pedal seems somewhat crappier than what I expected it doesnt really compare to a wah you'd hear Kirk Hammett or Zakk wylde use. And as I said I prefer amp gain for songs that have more bite to them. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This things reliable and strong. I like the metal chassis on the Boss multi effects compared to some of the plastic housed DigiTech units. I wouldnt use it for a gig because at this stage in my life I'd just use the amp for a cover band situation. When I get more into using delay and wah I'll by separate pedals. But for the reliability this thing is solid as a rock. // 9

Impression: I bought this unit because I wanted a wah but I figured I may aswell get some effects built in seeing as I got it after playing for 8 months. I reckon its pretty good for home use, but anything after that I'd say seperate pedals for be easier and be developed for their own sound instead of one big thing thats been built in general and not specific. I love the colour of it and its ability to add more emphasis to solos (with the delay). At the time I bought this product I wasnt that sure on everything, but if it was stolen I'd probably just buy a wah pedal and a delay pedal and use the amps gain. If you bought this product for home use you'd probably be happy with it, its really good quality and a bang for your buck. // 9

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: wangmaster, on february 19, 2007

Price paid: $ 274.5

Purchased from: Sound Control

Ease of Use: This is the first multi effects pedal. I bought it because of the nifty looking wah pedal, which is easy as hell to use. Writing patches is easy, too. All of the extras, like modulation and distortion are easy, you just set the knobs and turn it on. Simple. Ther manual is kind of in depth, but useful. // 10

Sound: I use an Epiphone Les Paul Standard and a crappy little practice amp (I'm buying a new one soon though). It is not noisy at all. Really. even when everything is on 10 (wouldn't reccommend, by the way) only a small hum can be heard. The effects sound awesome, especially the octaver, ring mod and phaser. the many different types of distortion are quite overwhelming, there's everything from light crunch to killer heavy metal. it's easy to get pretty much any sound you want, really. I play mainly RHCP, and stuff like "walkabout" and "give it away" sound awesome on this thing, and many other songs are great too. As I touched on before, the disortion, wah, octaver and phaser are great, and the delay and reverb are amazing, too. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Considering I don't have much of a backup, I'd say yes. Even if I did, it's dependable. The only slight thing is that it eats batteries like fat men eat pies. But if you got an adapter, it's all good. it's built like a tank! It will last forever if given the right care, you could drop a truck on this thing. seriously. // 9

Impression: I play mainly rock, and this matches it perfectly. It suits pretty much anything, given the variety of sounds achievable. I've been playing guitar for 5 years, but only switched to electric a while ago. I wish I had bought an adapter, but it's still awesome. I would buy it again if I had the money, because I bought it with Birthday money. My favourite feature is the wah. it's better than crybaby in my opinion. I wish it came in other colours, though. I think this is great value for money, and recommend to anyone wishing to buy a multi effects unit. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on december 17, 2007

Price paid: $ 199.99

Purchased from: ebay

Ease of Use: This processor is possibly the most unambiguous of them all. It's SUPER user friendly. Three foot switches control the three important effect parameters of Delay, OD and Modulation, and a footswitch for the wah and other such effects. Read on for a more detailed description. The pedal basically wins over the cheaper Zooms and Digitechs for this reason: It allows you to Switch any of the three effect parameters (as well as the expression) on or off at any point in time. This is basically what gives it an edge. Very few pedals in this price range will do the same! The pedal has two modes, a memory mode and a regular mode. The regular mode is the default and the sound you will hear is whatever you have set the effect to; it is a continuous real time sound and will change according to what you do. You can Switch effects on or off as well as tweak them or use the pedal. Tweaking in the middle of a song however is somewhat of a challenge and frankly impossible. This brings us to the other mode of the guitar, the Memory mode. This contains 30 possible effect combinations that can be stored in the memory of the processor, and will not be lost when you Switch off the power. It is essentially what the cheaper pedals offer. The modes are switched by pressing the Mod and Delay pedals down together at the same time. Each bank can hold 3 effects, switched to and from using the Mod, Delay and OD pedals. Effects are easy to create and simple to store; however keep in mind that there is a slight lag while switching effects, which can sometimes prove frustrating during gigs. Another slight issue is that once you are in this mode, you can not just turn off the distortion for an effect, as pressing that pedal will switch to the effect that has been stored under it. Basically, if you’re in memory mode, there’s no changing your effects. If you’re using it to gig that can be a bit of a problem. Another is that if you want to use more than three effects for a song, you have to Switch from one bank to another, which can not be done without pressing a button on the processor, i.e. there is no foot Switch to do this. However you can work around this problem by purchasing the Boss FS5U unlatching footswitch, which can then be used for a variety of functions. It will cost you about another $25. // 10

Sound: In short, the sound you can get from this is amazing for the price. This processor possibly has the best bang for the buck. Read on for details! Although most of you probably already know this, I would like to begin reviewing the sound quality of this processor with a disclosure: In case you are buying this to perfectly emulate a tube/valve amp, you will be disappointed! Neither the Boss ME-50 nor any processor for that matter can perfectly emulate the sound of a nice warm tube amp! The PODXT and BossGT8 are possibly the only two that come close to it. Now that that’s aside, I can very safely say that you will NOT be disappointed with the sound quality of this processor. The basic effects can be divided up into the three parameters (corresponding to three footswitches) of distortion/overdrive, modulation and delay. Distortion/overdrive. There are a total of 22 distortion effects which are of very good quality and encompass the needs of most musicians. Sounds vary from crunch and Overdrive, to lead metal and much more. Each effect then allows you to tweak it slightly using the Drive, Bottom, Tone and Level knobs, allowing for a fair bit of customizability. Modulation. There are a total of 11 modulation effects ranging from choruses to pan-vibrato. The chorus has a nice rich sound and can be set to a stereo mode if you are using the stereo output. Three knobs allow you to customize the parameters for each modulation effect. What the knobs control are specific to the effect in use. I personally feel that the chorus, flanger, phaser and Boss’s unique rotary effect are by far the most useful and well developed in this group. The harmonizer has been a slight disappointment; although claimed to be an intelligent harmonizer that adjusts for the key you play in, it is very limiting and can not be used with chords. The modulation effects allow ‘tap tempo’ functionality. Delay. The 11 delay effects are great! You can choose from a regular analog delay to a slow echo or a complete reversal of your sound! Once again you can tweak these with the knobs to control the time, feedback and level of the delay effect that you have chosen. The delay effects allow ‘tap temp’ functionality. Expression pedal. The expression pedal can be switched on or off by pressing down hard on it. The ‘wah’ was a great surprise after playing through the Zoom 606 and other pedals in that price range. It gives great body to the sound and a decent amount of ‘wah’ as well. The pedal can also be used in resonance, ring, voice or 2 octave modes. When not turned on, the pedal defaults to a volume pedal. Apart from the effects mentioned above, the ME50 features a knob to control tones. It can be set to any of the 10 tones including, single coil, humbucking, mild, tight hollow acoustic etc. The acoustic simulator is a great feature of this pedal and one of the reasons I chose it over the Korg Toneworks AX 1500G (price being the other factor). The pedal also features noise cancellation, a sustain knob, a reverb and a master volume knob. These are all excellent and useful features. The reverb contains spring, hall and room, with a special mod mode for that extra tone! // 9

Reliability & Durability: This is reliable and durable. It's made of a strong metallic case and can be banged around! The pedals are rock solid don't worry about taking this to gigs! It features rubber pads on all the corners and everything on it is pretty much screwed in, so on worries here. This is a definite step up interms of reliability when you move from the cheaper processors which use a lot of plastic. // 10

Impression: I've been playing for about 10 years and mostly play classic rock as well as some Indian classical/fusion. For the former, I require a nice tube crunch which I can't afford so I bought this! Yes it's not the sound I'd get from tubes but it is a very good processor and fulfills most of my needs. If I had the cash I might have upgraded to PODXT or Boss GT8 but if you don't have that kinda money this is the way to go! // 10

Comments

[cfcfan]

I have a Marshall AVT275, Fender strat USA series and use the Boss ME-50 fx processor. The other guitarist in our band has exactly the same equipment as me apart from the fx processor. He uses a Boss GT6 and goes through the fx loop whereas I go through the front of my amp. Never been a problem until this week when we needed to turn the volume up a notch to match our new drummer who is a lot louder than the previous one.
When I turned my volume up to match the other guitarist I got awful feedback so I tried going through the fx loop. Seemed great until I introduced the tremelo which was so weak it wasn't noticeable and my programmed banks that had distortion/overdrive were all clean??
I have been to 3 music shops and each adviser has given me a different set up, including connecting the send from the rear of the amp to the input on the front of the amp with the fx loop returns connected to the ME-50 outputs. If I didn't have the sense to turn all volumes down beforehand the high pitched sound that came out as I went to turn up might well have deafened me so God knows what it would have done to the amp!
Any suggestions? Please bear in mind the following:
It is nothing to do with single coil pickups as the other guitarist has the same. I do not have the master volume on ME-50 too high. I have contacted Roland/Boss customer support and finally, I am not technically minded so an idiots guide will be appreciated.
Many thanks.

[NiK-117]

maybe your unit ****ed up. boss can't get it perfect every time.

[NiK-117]

id like to ask, i have NO effects, except a Cry baby. my amp has a distortion but hey, what amp doesnt. are the distortions on the ME-50 good enough from someone who uses it alot, or should i buy a ds-2/os-2.

[sumguy67]

NiK-117 wrote:

id like to ask, i have NO effects, except a Cry baby. my amp has a distortion but hey, what amp doesnt. are the distortions on the ME-50 good enough from someone who uses it alot, or should i buy a ds-2/os-2.

i have the me-50 and it has plenty of distortion. it has 22 distortion settings and 4 knobs to vary the sound. it ranges from light overdrive all the way to turbo metallic. is sounds really awesome. the only problem i have with it is that the batteries run out pretty quickly and when they get to half power an annoying "B" flashes and it makes it difficult to use the tuner. overall i give the pedal a 9.6 ;

[ArcherTheVMan]

i disagree with the comment made by the first review "The guitar you use, however, is of no consequence, since compression, noise supression and tone modification can give you practicaly any tone you require. A cheap acoustic, if well mic'd up can sound like a Les Paul." that is wrong, you can use any fancyness you want and it won't sound (nearly) as good as the real thing, you can thicken the tone with the tone mod to make it sound more like humbuckers possibly, but not a specific guitar; anyway it probably makes no difference because the original tone has been drowned out by fx a lot of the time.
i've heard someone use one of these pedals live as ther distortion channel, they had a fairly good marshall and a gibson les paul studio it seemed silly to me to stick this pedal in the middle in the first place. when i heard it sounded horrible, lifeless & cold distortion, even a cheap solid state amp could have pulled a better distortion out. i think the modulation effects and the wahs and compressors and such are good but i think its a terrible idea to use this thing for your distortion sound (or any pedal distortion for that matter).

[black_sabbath85]

^^

ArcherTheVMan

Just because you heard some fool who probably doesnt know how to set-up his equipment mean that that the ME-50 sounds horrible. You should use a bit of common sense.
Try it our your self.

[XxAllButNonexX]

cfcfan wrote:

I have a Marshall AVT275, Fender strat USA series and use the Boss ME-50 fx processor. The other guitarist in our band has exactly the same equipment as me apart from the fx processor. He uses a Boss GT6 and goes through the fx loop whereas I go through the front of my amp. Never been a problem until this week when we needed to turn the volume up a notch to match our new drummer who is a lot louder than the previous one.
When I turned my volume up to match the other guitarist I got awful feedback so I tried going through the fx loop. Seemed great until I introduced the tremelo which was so weak it wasn't noticeable and my programmed banks that had distortion/overdrive were all clean??
I have been to 3 music shops and each adviser has given me a different set up, including connecting the send from the rear of the amp to the input on the front of the amp with the fx loop returns connected to the ME-50 outputs. If I didn't have the sense to turn all volumes down beforehand the high pitched sound that came out as I went to turn up might well have deafened me so God knows what it would have done to the amp!
Any suggestions? Please bear in mind the following:
It is nothing to do with single coil pickups as the other guitarist has the same. I do not have the master volume on ME-50 too high. I have contacted Roland/Boss customer support and finally, I am not technically minded so an idiots guide will be appreciated.
Many thanks.

It is probabaly your amp.
Mine does the same thing sometimes and the problem was with my amp.
If you have a rather nice amp you might concider taking it in. If not, you should probabaly buy a new one.

[Agent_00Funk]

Boss ME-50 is a great all around pedal, im easily getting brutal metal tones from it, considering its plugged into a 1964 Fender Vibro Champ amp and a 90's Peavey Bandit 112.

[mattboomboom]

Ithink the first review is great, i'm looking to get a boss ME-50 multi-effcts pedal and that first review really helped me decide that i wanted to get it! cheers

[TobiasFn]

DIGITAL EFFECTS BOARDS SUX....

all you need is a tubescreamer a crybaby a supervibe and af T-rex mudhoney and a classic boss delay... now take all that and put it in to a pedal train and also throw down a Ciox Baby as a power supply


Rock on guys!

[ZpYkNiW]

I have a question...
Would the ME50 sound OK with a MG series 15 CDR Marshall amp and a yamaha guitar?

Please answer

[ZpYkNiW]

How would I have to arrange te ME50 settings to have a sound alike to Boulevard of Broken Dreams intro?

[ZpYkNiW]

does the ME-50 include an AC adaptor?

[ZpYkNiW]

ZpYkNiW wrote:

does the ME-50 include an AC adaptor?

no need of answer anymore

[hawk5211]

I have this pedal, and its pretty good, at least for a beginning guitarist (ie not a professional). Works great, the only problem being that the wah seems to leave something to be desired, although that might just be my guitar. My advice tho is to rent it first if you can, fool around with it and see if you like it before dropping the 450 on it(Canadian, and including adapter)

[C3_Rocka]

got it yesterday, liking it a lot so far. yea the wah seems kinda odd but i love the metal distortion. features a lot of thing s but i still gotta get the hang of it and find out how the tuner works.

[DareBear02]

I have a Marshall AVT275, Fender strat USA series and use the Boss ME-50 fx processor. The other guitarist in our band has exactly the same equipment as me apart from the fx processor. He uses a Boss GT6 and goes through the fx loop whereas I go through the front of my amp. Never been a problem until this week when we needed to turn the volume up a notch to match our new drummer who is a lot louder than the previous one.
When I turned my volume up to match the other guitarist I got awful feedback so I tried going through the fx loop. Seemed great until I introduced the tremelo which was so weak it wasn't noticeable and my programmed banks that had distortion/overdrive were all clean??
I have been to 3 music shops and each adviser has given me a different set up, including connecting the send from the rear of the amp to the input on the front of the amp with the fx loop returns connected to the ME-50 outputs. If I didn't have the sense to turn all volumes down beforehand the high pitched sound that came out as I went to turn up might well have deafened me so God knows what it would have done to the amp!
Any suggestions? Please bear in mind the following:
It is nothing to do with single coil pickups as the other guitarist has the same. I do not have the master volume on ME-50 too high. I have contacted Roland/Boss customer support and finally, I am not technically minded so an idiots guide will be appreciated.
Many thanks.

I really don't agree with anyones opinion on the processor here. I use a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (real guitarist use tube amps) and play through a Gibson SG special and a Fender 72 Thinline. The Boss ME-50 is great for many reasons, but I've had the EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE with my band, and the ME-50 really cannot handle higher volumes, I get the same feedback too when I crank the amp up past 5, also a loud hum noise when none of the effects were on.

The compressor on here really doesn't work as well as most stomp boxes, and the noise supressor cuts off the sustain more than (again) most stomp boxes. The only distortions on here that sounded natural were the Boss tones, the metal, DS1, and overdrive sounded very natural. All the other distortions sound really bad.

This is not to say that it's a bad processor, I enjoyed it, but realized that when playing at practice or at a larger show, the ME-50 was not designed for playing at these types of situations. This is an ANALOG MULIT-EFFECTS PEDAL, there is no digital sound to any of the effects, boss did a good job with this unit, the modulations, effects actually sound very good, the wah is ok, nothing to write home about. Unfortunately when it's all said and done, I had to trade it in for real stomp boxes. I now use The Marshall Ed-1 compressor, Dunlop Crybaby Wah, Pro Co Turbo Rat distortion, Ibanez TS7 Tube Screamer, and the Ibanez CF-5 Chorus/Flange and I have all the tone I need. Especially comming from the tubes.

Overall I would actually give this pedal a 7, for it's veratilty ease of use, and design. The points fall mostly on practice and live situations when cranking this thing up. I've used this pedal also through a Marshal JCM 2000 stack and I get the same effect when wanting to pump up the master and volume.

Checked.

[METAL4LYF]

hey can someone pls give me some patch settings i could use so that my effects could sound good like metallica or carlos santana effect

[Norwegian_Slash]

In the first review he said you could save up to 3 different sounds on it.. How do you do that? I've had my Me50 for a couple of weeks but I can't figure out how to do it..

[METAL4LYF]

Norwegian_Slash :
In the first review he said you could save up to 3 different sounds on it.. How do you do that? I've had my Me50 for a couple of weeks but I can't figure out how to do it..

^^^^
duh look at the manual.
go to memory mode the press edit then set ur effect settings and press write two times

[Norwegian_Slash]

manual sucks, thank you;P

[the_lil_rocker]

i thought i should get some BOSS stomp boxes but i needed lyk at LEAST 3...Distortion,Delay and Compressor Sustainer, Plus a Cry Baby...and i new BOSS was a GOOD brand. but 2 buy that stuff it would cost me a good Grand! (i live in NZ, NZ dollor=1/2 US) i ended up getting the ME-50...ITS ROCKS! ALL THE BUILT IN EFFECTS ARE JST BOSS STOMPBOXES COMBINED!!!! AND ITS SO EASY TO USE!!! AND GREAT 4 GIGS!

[the_lil_rocker]

Does anyone kno some KILLER settings? for different styles??? i really want a SETTING 2 SOUND LYK AVENGED SEVENTHFOLD, or SLASH!!!

[toasted_lemming]

Yeah, I've been really happy with this...except for that damn wah (grrr)...oh, and buy a 9V AC adapter from an electronics shop like maplins for £6 (i have no idea US, sounds like about $4) rather than paying the earth for an official Boss one which will break just as easily as the cheap unbranded one (official one is 9.6V, but if you used batteries before then they were almost never providing this power output...don't let the technobabble put you off saving money

[toasted_lemming]

No, sorry, $8

[d_jinn]

...does me-50 have ..a metronome or anything like tht for tht matter ....??

[OttovanZanten]

the wahwah sucks ass, i think, barely noticable at most the the frequencys. If u want a good wahwah too, buy a cheap behringer v-amp multi-effect. Also pretty good stuff, but no boss ofcourse :P

[pfricky98]

the me-50 might be the best multi-effects pedal ever. every effect sounds perfect and its extremely versatile.

[E V H 5150]

I played one at a music shop through an amp I can't remember, and the HP Signature EXP I'm about to get. It was freakin' awesome. I was thinking about getting an MG halfstack from Marshall, with the DFX to save on pedals. But I think this will be a lot better. I thought the reverb was a little weak, though. And the distortion wasn't enough for me. But in defense of this masterpiece, I couldn't have anything too loud because I was in a store. I absolutely loved the phazer, with the distortion and delay all at once. It had an easy-to-use tuner, which was nice. It's way cheaper than buying a whole bunch of pedals, and the interface was so easy. I fell in love with this pedal the second I started messing around on it. I just wish I could have done more with it while trying out the guitar. I went to the store for a Jack Daniel's EX, and instead got an HP Sig EXP, and also knowing what to buy next. I loved the octave effects, and I tried out the wah a little. I hadn't used an expression pedal before, but I'll figure it out. It was extremelly easy to get some space-sounds. I just messed around with some bending, volume swells, slides and hammer-ons. I used the delay a little, but I had to leave before I could explore the full potential of the ME-50. I'm 100% sure I'm buying one once I get a more respectable amp, because a 15W Marshall, though it is a Marshall, isn't going to last. I would pay the $300 for this anyday. And I'm going to. Dammit, I love this thing. I loved the phazer. I loved everything about it. Everything. I'm just repeating myself constantly, though. Dam, I want the ME-50 so badly...

[red_hot_guitar]

I bought an ME-50 a couple of days ago now, taking the advice from many of my guitaring mates i went into a music shop and tried it before i splashed out on it. I couldn't get over the choice of effects. After reading the first review here i agree: the ME-50 needs a way to use 2 or more effects at a time. Otherwise I am completely satisfied and I'm glad I only had to pay 120(GBP)for it.

[permanentmarker]

why could it not use a single 9v battery, instead of 6 AA batterys, which add up to 9v anyway?

[bc2025]

i got da me 50 a while ago and it is brill. the choice of effects is just right for a small band but i find that the expession pedal seems to losen up after a while playin but except for that i would recomend it to anyone. !!!

[Shizzster]

Yea this pedal is GREAT! i got one about 3 months ago, cost about 400 bucks from long and mequade, i have it playing through a marshall mg 50, and i use a epiphone les paul ultra, the distortions are great and along with all the other effects, the hramonisize setting or whatever is also really neat, id say the lony weak point about it is that it dosesnt come with a case or adapter and that the expression pedal isnt strong, but dont get me wrong its decent, if u look at the fact that it has 6 differnt settigns for one pedal its amazing, octave 1+ will cut out sometimes when ur playing notes closer to the bridge but u have to hold it for a while. all in all this pedal is amazing especially for a price, i play in a band we play a lot of different styles so its good that this baby is very versatile, one thing i noticed is that sometimes ull get some naasty cracking sounds coming through the amp but it can easily be fixed by just turning down the master volume down on the ME-50 and raising it up on the amp :p, if u need versatility and REALLY nice distorion this pedal is for u especially with the sick price!

[eddiekain]

I have a Boss me-50 and well what can i say its the best thing since sliced bread. Theres so many different sounds you can get out of it. The instruction manual was very helpful in helping to get to know how the unit worked and as for the unit itself, id say it could stand up to a good hammerin'. No doubt about it i give this fx unit a 10!

[victimofbodom]

ok heres the deal im reading all this can sum1 answer me these questions:

1)ok i wanna gig with this thing but supposedly it cannot handle loads of volume is this true can i no play on stage?
2)can i use my dunlop GCB95 as my wah instead?
3) what do you mean two effects at once cannot be used (first review)

thank you

[Under_Score247]

i just got this 3 hrs ago and i love it.. soooo easy to use and amazing effects!!

[Under_Score247]

oh yeh.. since there are only 3 banks i need help on wat effects to use for the patches.. i need the best 3.. plz help

[Mailbox Arson]

i love this pedal but has ive having trouble with the memory bank and patching. when im setting a patch, the volume is way lower then when its on manual even though thr settuings are the same, also the delay is f**ked, i try setting patch for one of my banks but its just not wiritng the effect, the delay is totally not what it sounds like when i play it on manual..help.

[highway_star]

There is apparently a slight but obvious delay when moving from one patch to another - according to other reviews elsewhere (Harmony Central). Is there anyway of getting around this?

[Shizzster]

yea the delay is a bitch, and i have not found away to get around it, although you could just have it in manual mode and set the settings to what you want and add effects that way to get rid of the delay

[Shizzster]

but this means setting it up every single time

[Shizzster]

victimofbodom wrote:

ok heres the deal im reading all this can sum1 answer me these questions:

1)ok i wanna gig with this thing but supposedly it cannot handle loads of volume is this true can i no play on stage?
2)can i use my dunlop GCB95 as my wah instead?
3) what do you mean two effects at once cannot be used (first review)

thank you

it depends on your amp, i have a MG 50 and i have more than enough volume and the master volume on ME is always at half, if you turn it up the sound starts to get scratchy.

i dont noe the answer to ur second question but for your last one: there is a dedicated pedal for 3 groups of effects they are Distortion, Modulation and Delay, so suppose you want to use two types of effects in the Modulation group eg. Chorus and tremlo, since there is only one footswitch it is not possible.

[greemo]

omg ive just got this for my birthday, well it not actually my birthday i quickly snook a go and n i played on it for 10 mins tops !!

it was amazing unbelievably easy to use no doubt about it , the distortions in this baby are ace, i can get pantera outta this thing its ace !

i didnt get chance to check ot all the modulations but the delays n the pedal are supperb, dunlop, meh same thing really! the octaves are sweet, didnt use the others, the compresser/sustainer is brill and the noise gate is really good forget paying £90 for a mxr one, oyu get this one with it ! ha !

overall its an amazing piece of kit one which i shall never tire of using !!

10/10 !!!

[NiK-117]

one thing i hate is the nasel muting you can get with some distortions on multi-effects, especially the zoom g2. are ANY of the distortions nasel when you mute on this thing or not? how do they compare to boss's single stomps?

[frusciante_fan!]

I'm Trying to decide whether to buy this model or the "zoom G2" and im not sure which to buy. Can anyone give me an idea which on to go with?

[roosterfish9]

does me-50s tuner just tune standard EBGDAE or does it also tune sharps and flats for certain songs? please reply if you have pedal

[mikedirnt96]

btw ppl it converts from analouge 2 digital den back so it dont matta wot vol u gt it on

[will-loves-zep]

my band mate has one of these, it has a great range of effects and types but you can't change between them that easily, you have only one type of modulation, distortion and dealy at a time, the octave is great though as is the harmoniser. i personally am buying seperate pedals to build up a pedal board cos i think it is a better way to have your effects laid out and easier to interchange

[rockstar_jones]

this thing kills tone.

[robo516]

i bought the me-50 about half a year ago, the distortion and sustain are amazing the only bad thing about it is the wah but you can just get another pedal for that.

[rammsteinrob]

This unit's great, I've had it for a months and some things really stand out. I love the resonance, find a nice distortion you like and you start a song in a very cool way with it getting louder and louder I like the octave +1 because if used well soloing can be made even better but be careful not to overdo it! Also the harmonize is very nice. You wont ever need two guitars to get the perfect harmony. It will take you 30second, if you have a riff. Combine harmonize and the octave and you can get a great sound. If I'm right you may e able to set each indvidual string to a different key but I'm not sure, I do know however that you can change the overall key of the harmony which is a very ice idea. Some distortions are pointless but some are pretty decent. The pedal and modulation and delay are what stand out. Oh yea check out my profile if you wish

[chriskent4687]

permanentmarker wrote:

why could it not use a single 9v battery, instead of 6 AA batterys, which add up to 9v anyway?

because it would last for about 5 mins!!

[KingFrusciante]

yeah the tuner includes standard and other tuning.

[KingFrusciante]

if you read my review i actually paid £150 for it but it didnt come up. thanks

[noturningback]

Are there any other distortion effects apart from the MT2? I have an actual MT2 and recently I've found it hasn't been heavy/brutal enough. Too thin and rubbery.

[chriskent4687]

chriskent4687 wrote:

permanentmarker wrote:

why could it not use a single 9v battery, instead of 6 AA batterys, which add up to 9v anyway?

because it would last for about 5 mins!!

its a bit like a bike pedeling at 30mph
compared to a car driving at 30mph, the dude on the bikes gonna run out of juice a lot quicker than dude in the car.
i think that how it works

[sakos]

It's amazing! I'm just figuring a pretty sound but I can't guess it. Can somebody help me, how can I get the new-school heavy metal sound of:
- Metallica - Invisible Kid (intro) ,or
- metallica - Some kind of monster (break part), or maybe
- Rammstein - Amerika ("this is not a love song..." part)
In this parts of these songs the sound of the guitar is perfect. So I want to get this sound. It's similar to Slipknot's sound. So please help me to figure this cool sound! thanx

[p0m_91]

I bought a ME-50 a few months back, and it did come with an included power cable, so that's 1 negative to cross of the list.

[gxnoob]

uhh so what would be a better buy, a zoom G7 or this ME-50???

[omni_angel7]

i have it. very nice

[Grimme]

Its the best multi-effects out there. I've had this for about 2 or 3 years, before I had a digitech RP-something and a Pod-XT neither compare for the sheer user friendliness and power of the boss ME-50. Its a brilliant piece of kit, the distortions are first rate and so are the delays. The mod effects are of good quality and while a seperate switch for turning the compressor and reverb on and off would be most desirable this can be resolved by the patches function (which I never use if I'm honest, merely because I like to stick to one guitar tone with various effects). I would like to mention that the effects on the expression pedal are incredible, perhaps the best availible, the wah is excellent, the resolution effect is extremely useful and the ring mod and voice effects go beyond the call of duty in terms of adding other worldy, experimental sounds to your music. The octave shifting features are adequate but for serious use of these kind of features I would recommend a digitech whammy (which I also have, and love).

[brush200400]

KingFrusciante wrote:

yeah the tuner includes standard and other tuning.

its a chromatic tuner

[Whiskky]

TobiasFn wrote:

DIGITAL EFFECTS BOARDS SUX....

all you need is a tubescreamer a crybaby a supervibe and af T-rex mudhoney and a classic boss delay... now take all that and put it in to a pedal train and also throw down a Ciox Baby as a power supply


Rock on guys!

Yes, yes. But how much would all of that cost? Right...

[bossboy]

awww damn i wish i got this instead of the od-20

[spyguy34]

i have the me-50 and its incredible and easy to use best multi effects pedal out there and the batteries in mine lasted for about three weeks and i played an easy 3 hours or 4 about every other day

[RyonShallPerish]

ive had one for a couple of years and not really suffered when playing gigs but i think its a case of havin the levels sorted!! although i know what your saying i think it is a slightly harsh judgement on a brilliant and cheap multi-effects unit!!! buy one if your reading this

DareBear02 wrote:

I have a Marshall AVT275, Fender strat USA series and use the Boss ME-50 fx processor. The other guitarist in our band has exactly the same equipment as me apart from the fx processor. He uses a Boss GT6 and goes through the fx loop whereas I go through the front of my amp. Never been a problem until this week when we needed to turn the volume up a notch to match our new drummer who is a lot louder than the previous one.
When I turned my volume up to match the other guitarist I got awful feedback so I tried going through the fx loop. Seemed great until I introduced the tremelo which was so weak it wasn't noticeable and my programmed banks that had distortion/overdrive were all clean??
I have been to 3 music shops and each adviser has given me a different set up, including connecting the send from the rear of the amp to the input on the front of the amp with the fx loop returns connected to the ME-50 outputs. If I didn't have the sense to turn all volumes down beforehand the high pitched sound that came out as I went to turn up might well have deafened me so God knows what it would have done to the amp!
Any suggestions? Please bear in mind the following:
It is nothing to do with single coil pickups as the other guitarist has the same. I do not have the master volume on ME-50 too high. I have contacted Roland/Boss customer support and finally, I am not technically minded so an idiots guide will be appreciated.
Many thanks.


I really don't agree with anyones opinion on the processor here. I use a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (real guitarist use tube amps) and play through a Gibson SG special and a Fender 72 Thinline. The Boss ME-50 is great for many reasons, but I've had the EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE with my band, and the ME-50 really cannot handle higher volumes, I get the same feedback too when I crank the amp up past 5, also a loud hum noise when none of the effects were on.

The compressor on here really doesn't work as well as most stomp boxes, and the noise supressor cuts off the sustain more than (again) most stomp boxes. The only distortions on here that sounded natural were the Boss tones, the metal, DS1, and overdrive sounded very natural. All the other distortions sound really bad.

This is not to say that it's a bad processor, I enjoyed it, but realized that when playing at practice or at a larger show, the ME-50 was not designed for playing at these types of situations. This is an ANALOG MULIT-EFFECTS PEDAL, there is no digital sound to any of the effects, boss did a good job with this unit, the modulations, effects actually sound very good, the wah is ok, nothing to write home about. Unfortunately when it's all said and done, I had to trade it in for real stomp boxes. I now use The Marshall Ed-1 compressor, Dunlop Crybaby Wah, Pro Co Turbo Rat distortion, Ibanez TS7 Tube Screamer, and the Ibanez CF-5 Chorus/Flange and I have all the tone I need. Especially comming from the tubes.

Overall I would actually give this pedal a 7, for it's veratilty ease of use, and design. The points fall mostly on practice and live situations when cranking this thing up. I've used this pedal also through a Marshal JCM 2000 stack and I get the same effect when wanting to pump up the master and volume.

[guitarfreak222]

ZpYkNiW wrote:

How would I have to arrange te ME50 settings to have a sound alike to Boulevard of Broken Dreams intro?

put a distortion then some tremolo

[spyguy34]

got this a couple months ago and all my friends r jealous kicks the shit out of their pedals

[KB22]

which one is better...

this or a line 6 POD live

i've narrowed my choices to those two

[Charlie4]

I'm also looking to buy this pedal in a few months time - I researched a few: Line 6, Digitech, Boss - the main three I would consider.

I've heard a few people say that Line 6 sounds too digital and also the reviews on this site claim that the distortion isn't so impressive (no that I need a pedal to get good distortion)

The ME 50 is actually the best value for money in comparison with other multi-effects units - it's a semi-professional pedal.

Looking forward to having it

[sean_man]

just bought one, anyone helpme out with any patches?

[guitarplayer106]

just wondering, is it possible to like play distortion and reverb at the same time? Also, sean_man has a good question that i found interesting. It would be great if you knew the answer=)

[turbonegro111]

what i want to know is whether or not the GT-8 is worth the extra £100, help anyone?

[Anno[fzk]]

As above.
Is the GT-8 worth the extra $145?

[AaronR2]

This is a good multi effect pedal. i like it because unlike most other multi effect pedals, this one is easy to understand. it also has awesome tone.

[SmokinGoodfella]

Does anyone have any good settings for mxr type distotion on me-50?

[k2pblcnme]

I love this thing. I played it at my friends and it sounded amazing even through a pretty lame Peavey practice amp. I love the octave setting on the pedal and all reverse delay is pretty sweet too. If this is in your price range go for it.

[koalabacon]

i got this for 80$ off a friend.

best thing in the past year

[iTzMaTT]

Looks okay. I say the Zoom multiFX is better though.

[Rational_Gaze]

I have played several gigs with this pedal and I will say -about it not handling higher volumes- thats a load of bullshit. Those people must have some seriously shit amps or just be retards who turn everything up full and wonder why they can't get a good sound.

I think the effects are all great for the price. This is really the best you can do in this price range.
As for the distortion models, they are ok, as long as you use them with a valve/tube amp or something with a tube preamp. This is I think because they are analogue effects so they do not work well with modelling amps, especially the line 6 spiders. It works ok with some (analogue?)Solid State ampt though

[fleasaprentice]

i've got one of these the biggest downfall is a cut in sound when you change between saved patches....
i would not recommend buying one...

[Multiplayerjon]

Rational_Gaze wrote:

I have played several gigs with this pedal and I will say -about it not handling higher volumes- thats a load of bullshit. Those people must have some seriously shit amps or just be retards who turn everything up full and wonder why they can't get a good sound.

I think the effects are all great for the price. This is really the best you can do in this price range.
As for the distortion models, they are ok, as long as you use them with a valve/tube amp or something with a tube preamp. This is I think because they are analogue effects so they do not work well with modelling amps, especially the line 6 spiders. It works ok with some (analogue?)Solid State ampt though

It's a hard word (Underlined) But learn to spell PLEASE!!!

[chris024]

i have one, its not bad, not as great as the reviews make it sound. i dont use the distortion since i have a tube stack but when using a practice amp is does have some nice distortion tones if you play with it, i use the delay and modulation pedals more than anything. the wah is sub-par compared to a crybaby. i only hook it up to my stack th4rough the effects plugs, and make sure i can turn the pedal off completely when im not using it as it still gives you a sort of digital sound when compared to the strait tube sound if you have every effect off. maybe i just like my guitar tones(tele standard, tele custom) but i never use the compression, tone modifiers, reverb(spring reverb on amp, so no digital), or sustain.

im not going to say its not a good pedal, cause i still bring it with me to every band practice, and plan on having it on stage with me. its pretty tough, but the wah/volume pedal ive been having trouble turning on and off at will and have resorted to playing entire songs with the wah on if need be. the pedal does have some cool features, the voice and resonance can get some cool sound similar to wah, but different enough to warrent them being there.

the delay and mod pedals almost make the whole thing worth it. theres tons of little features, i just wish the loop delay was longer than 2 or 3 seconds. those 2 switches alone almost make it worth it.

i wouldnt pay $400 for it, but i'd probobly pay $200. good pedal, not great. nothing i'd wana use for recording.

[chris024]

oh, i'll add to it that even though it spilt on the distortion half of the pedal, i did drop a beer on it once, which was 4 months before i started having wah on/off problems, but i figure thats worth adding. no problems with anything for months after it happened, so i doubt its related. so it could show its durability?

[gallagher2006]

Got this for £30 off a pawn shop.

Best £30 I've ever spent, coincidently =]

[tom_martin_123]

i know this may be a silly question... but when you buy it does it come with all the relevant cables and adapters?

[bradwhiteuk]

tom_martin_123 wrote:

i know this may be a silly question... but when you buy it does it come with all the relevant cables and adapters?

Not sure what you mean by cables, but with regards to an adapter; unless it specifically says otherwise, it doesn't come with one. You would normally have to buy that separately for around £20 (for an official Boss one).

[roberto123]

Ordered this couple days ago...is it possible to go from one effect to the other during one song? say for example, distrotion with flanger to distortion with harmonist?

[DeathByDestroyr]

ive got one, nice pedal...i would rather have 1,000 stomboxes, but for the price it is great

and sounds a lot nicer through a high-end amp than any amp emulator-based unit

[ME-262-ME-kc]

ok, quick question. I got the line 6 spider 3 15. Its a 8 inch single speaker with distortion, crunch, and clean. Would the ME-50 or the ME-20 sound better. by the way, ive just started playen like 4 months ago.
Please answer

[Notmewtwoguitar]

gallagher2006 wrote:

Got this for £30 off a pawn shop.

Best £30 I've ever spent, coincidently =]

I'm not normally one to go green with jealousy... but I am now :O £30!!!! I'm looking to buy this at £145, and then the extra money for an adaptor as well!

[myearshurt]

Just got mine, wah sucks salty balls, you can't even hear it with distortion on, alright on cleans though, but still sucks. Distortion models, most of them suck. Noise gate is crap. Modulation and delay is decent.

roberto123 wrote:

Ordered this couple days ago...is it possible to go from one effect to the other during one song? say for example, distrotion with flanger to distortion with harmonist?

No, you'd have to bend down and turn the knob.

ME-262-ME-kc wrote:

ok, quick question. I got the line 6 spider 3 15. Its a 8 inch single speaker with distortion, crunch, and clean. Would the ME-50 or the ME-20 sound better. by the way, ive just started playen like 4 months ago.
Please answer

No, don't bother, you've already got effects on your ampp, get the ME50 when you've got a better amp. Actually, don't get the ME50 if you can afford individual pedals, the effects aren't that great.

[breedlove822]

i'm super new to looking into this so it's a neophite question. I'm looking to acheive some new sounds with my acoustic breedlove ... with an integrated pickup of course. Ibanez amp...

[bluefu_k]

hey does anyone have any problem with super bad feedback when they use the Metal od anywhere near maximum drive? n by bad feedback i mean getting feedback 20ft(literally) away? or is it just my 12-year old Epi LP? :/

[5dilloneastoe]

does the tuner have different settings? (E standard, Eb, D standard)

[Coldmystery]

DareBear02 :
I really don't agree with anyones opinion on the processor here. I use a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (real guitarist use tube amps) and play through a Gibson SG special and a Fender 72 Thinline. The Boss ME-50 is great for many reasons, but I've had the EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE with my band, and the ME-50 really cannot handle higher volumes, I get the same feedback too when I crank the amp up past 5, also a loud hum noise when none of the effects were on.

No real guitarist with money can use tube amps. OR real local guitar players who gig and dont want to take their nice tube amps places for fear of damage still use solid state for their durability.

I have played this thing, im not HUGE on effects anymore but from what ive played, digitech, boss, zoom, this is the best bang for your buck you can get in multi effects

[KarKing Jack]

I've played it for a couple of hours, to test it out, so I dont have to lean over constantly come christmas ^_- And I say its brilliant. The... Mud bothers me. Its muddy. As in - you cant hear your guitar through a lot of the effects. And I love my guitar sound.

But the echoes on it are absolutely amazing! And the amount of spacey effects? Brilliant! I've been looking into writing/playing some heavy-ish astronomy based fantasy-inspired Space Rock, using Synesthesia inspired methods, with some nice soloing ^_^ Hitherto the purchase of the ME-50, this was impossible.

Now, all the echoes, distortions, and... weird things... make it easy! Its brilliant. So, you can get some crazy sounds on it, in other words, nyek nyek nyek.

I was looking at a Korg AX3000 G, but the shop had ran out, so this seemed like the only alternative that was worthwhile - I still endevour to get the Korgh at some point, though.

What I especially like from it is the clean/light settings. They're perfect! I use a Roland Cube, and it makes me weep, honestly. But through this metallic-armoured wizard, the sounds are warrior-kin of the highest order! Its perfect for blues and, well, slow things. The distortions I haven't tried too much yet, but I will, however I think they're definatly something even K. K. Downing and Glenn Tipton would love.

Its pretty, as well. All shiny. I feel as if I could go to war with it. I reckon I should invite someone who'se generally annoying down. Show 'em it. In a way in which they'll find themselves unable to leave. [Grin]

And then take over countries, or something.

Anyway; I'm not keen on the Modulation -- partially because its just labelled 'Mod', and I'm a rocker [growl]. But the flanger seems a bit... Over-flanged? I'm certain its just me, though.

The overdubbing is hard, too, insofar. I expect it takes practise. I'm looking forward to using the patch feature, as well. Not sure if I can make sense of it as yet, but when I do, I expect things'll happen.

Although, I will say, there doesn't seem to be a /normal/ echo. Its all fancy. But, I'd like to create my own echoes anyway. Find a cave, or a forest grotto of sorts, or even just arrange some cardboard. Make a delay. But I expect it wouldn't compare to that what's inside the box thing...

Love the accoustic simulater, too ^_-

[antalday]

what unit should i get?? boss me-50 or korg toneworks ax3000g??

[nazgul07]

roberto123 wrote:

Ordered this couple days ago...is it possible to go from one effect to the other during one song? say for example, distrotion with flanger to distortion with harmonist?

yeah you can.. pressing the modulation and delay pedals at the same time you can enter the memory mode.. there you can write and edit the build ion effects effects.. you can store up to 3 combination of effects per back and there are 10 banks.. thats 30 effects...! hoppe this reply isnt too late xD if it is forget what I just said lol

[Chaduah]

This is an great pedal, got one in december and i dont think ill be needing any stompboxes for a while.. the only problem is the half second delay between effects changes (in memory mode). Awesome multi-effects pedal, i'd recommend it to anyone!

[theleprechaun]

Im trying to decide if i get should get this one or the Line 6 Floor POD plus which is $100 cheaper. Or a different one at around this price?

[platykim]

hey guys i was just wondering if this pedal is worth it for beginners... im okay at guitar been playing for 8 months and i want an effect pedal... do you think im beeing to greedy for this pedal???? i dont play live or anything just at home but i want effects cuz they sound cool... let me know what you guys think.. also should i get this or the floor pod plus?? how much is the floor pod pkus neways? (new in stores)

[lukegjpotter]

I'm thinking about ordering this, with an extra cable and the official power supply it comes to €288. I asked them if it comes with a power supply or cables and I'm waiting on a reply. Its €238 on its own.

[kirkjames92]

If i were to chose between Korg AX3000g, Digitech GNX3000 and Boss ME50 which one should i chose?

[lukegjpotter]

lukegjpotter wrote:

I'm thinking about ordering this, with an extra cable and the official power supply it comes to €288. I asked them if it comes with a power supply or cables and I'm waiting on a reply. Its €238 on its own.

But I've found the ME-50, PSA-240 and a 20ft cable for €227 including delivery on tradetalk.ie which is a new price comparision site all my goods are being bought from totalmusicsupply.com

[mag-666]

Norwegian_Slash wrote:

manual sucks, thank you;P

I found the manual fantastic. My Expression pedal would only work as a volume pedal for a while but with the help of the manual I even fixed that myself (and I am ****ing awful with my hands)

[cortezio]

I havent got ANY pedals what so ever, and was thinking of getting this, is it worth it, or should i get a few inividual stomp-boxes first?

Thanks

[Fear3001]

is the boss me-70 worth the extra money over the me-50 because i mainly want the boss effects without paying about $500 on stompboxes

[davidblackjuda2]

Fear3001 wrote:

is the boss me-70 worth the extra money over the me-50 because i mainly want the boss effects without paying about $500 on stompboxes

Fear3001 wrote:

is the boss me-70 worth the extra money over the me-50 because i mainly want the boss effects without paying about $500 on stompboxes

dude bought the ME50 for AUD$500 its not worth it at all,if u like heavy,aggressive metal distortion sound,u'll regret it.BTW the ME70 has nearly the same effects like the other 1.the noise suppressor is a joke,even if u turn it to max,u still can hear annoying noise coming from it,no matter what amp u have,even through headphones the same noise comes out.have u heard about low noise Ibanez cables?try it to cut down excessive unwanted noise.

[exloser]

I agree with davidblackjuda. I like playing metal and hard rock and the distortion is horrible. Out of the 22 different distortions I use two because they are the only ones that sound good. All the other distortions have a lot of treble and make me cringe when I play them. But everything else on the pedalboard is amazing.