Boss ME-80 - Great Sounding Easy To Use Guitar Multi-FX 

What’s the amp ?

Fantastic deal for a beast of a unit that will stand the test of time!

What's your experience with an ME50? Mine got fried somehow :(

Anytime Michael.

Thanks for sharing.

That’s a great idea Andy, I’m all for that.

Agree

agree

I have this device just got it yesterday I’m still learning

That will be useful series :)

Hi, in your opinion do the sounds on this still unit sound contemporary or are they a tad dated. I’m having trouble deciding and between this and the Boss GT1 and I can’t demo either where I live. Thanks.

@@accentontheoff its been over 2 years since i owned one. I just think its a very good starter multi fx , all the dials are on the front, theres no screens , which i think helps translate what happens when you take an effect and change its composure. I found that i had no real understanding of all guitar fx when i started. Then after i was finished with the boss me-80, i understood what a chorus pedal was and sounded like, what a distortion was, an overdrive, a flanger, a delay and so on. I had a very basic understsnding before hand but i could now tell when listening to a track when a certain fx is being used to most things. The same can be said about what happens to each effect when i changed their parameters , how it changed, why….it basically was a crash course to the most common guitar fx , their sounds and how to get desired sounds so on. Another interesting aspect was blending fx and seeing how they change and add more and interesting sounds and depth to your tone. It really gave me a base of knowledge , quickly and in a fun and non frustrating way. If you know about all this stuff already , i would still recommend it as its a very budget friendly , tank built multi fx. Im sure the gt-1 has upgrades to it sound wise, ability wise. It is an upgrade on the me-80 after all. My advice to you if your new to multi fx and guitar sounds and your considering this unit ….. i would buy it used if you can , and when your done with it or if its not to your tastes you can sell it for a minimum loss. I brought mine for £140 used and sold it for £130. It cost me £10 to own this unit for the period that i had it. It models boss pedals and it does a great job, it’s not as good as owning the actual pedal its modelling but it still very very good. Although i would recommend this pedal to beginners who are trying to learn about fx, there are plenty of users with vast experience that still use it despite its age. New and recently invented isnt always better. However it is very easy to outgrow the unit with your wants and needs. The looper is short, there is no fx loop, yes it is outdated compared to whats on the market. But its still a viable option for many. I brought it knowing i would sell it at some point as i read up about it and knew of the short comings i would run into, but i had a 6 month wait to a bigger more advanced multi fx with more specific amp models and looper functions. In that time i learned so much using it that my transition to the next multi fx was pretty seemless. It cost me £10 and its where my biggest gains with guitar fx were made as a beginner, so i guess i have a soft spot for it.

@@attillal4821 Thanks so much! for your incredibly patient answer. My issue is I might not be able to get it second hand where I live. So, I have to buy it new. And without any chance of demoing it live. So while I TOTALLY agree with what you’re saying about using it as a learning pedal I am also worried that it will start feeling outdated - only talking of the sound here -- after sometime and then I will be stuck with it. Bur even then, I love the simplicity of this unit (and the learning opportunities you described) so much that I have almost made up my mind to get it. Like I said the sound being dated is one concern. Like you mentioned maybe the GT1 is more polished? No idea to be honest. The other small issue I have with this pedal is that you can’t experiment with the signal chain - I understands that it is fixed? But that’s a comparatively minor issue. So basically yeah. Not a simple decision. Can’t have everything I guess 😊 By the way what did you upgrade to from the ME80. Thanks!

@@accentontheoff I upgraded to the mooer ge300. Given your situation.. maybe it would be wise to buy something you may not run into issues headroom wise with the likes of functionality and lack off fx and possibilities. There are a number of multi fx made in the last 5 years and all of them you can get killer sounds from, your biggest issue may be running out of processing power with the cheaper ones. It really depends on how much flexibility you will need in the long run. The simpler your fx chain is the less chance you will find yourself in a position where you run out of processing power, which is what happened to me with my idea of running two amp blends in a wet dry set up. Depending on your budget you may want to look at a mooer ge300 , and if your looking for something that can do two amps at the same time and a ton of fx then maybe consider the helix. Where are you based that makes it so hard to buy used gear if you don’t mind me asking? And what is your maximum budget?

​@@attillal4821 My budget is around 300 dollars. I live in India, and the used gear market exists here, but I think you need to get lucky... even so, I am looking at the option now after your suggestion, but no luck so far. The Mooer GE300 sounds very interesting but it is more than I want to spend now. Helix is also too expensive. I also considered the Line 6 Pod Go which is also too much for me now. Things are dicey these days, plus I am a level 1 person, so, just don’t want to spend too much. The points you're making are interesting about more FX and additional processing power for future use, but as a relative newbie, should I worry about that too much? I am still keen on the ME 80 for all the reasons you said, as I feel it will be a FANTASTIC way to learn what all the pedals do - but some people are saying the ODs aren't good, some say the pre amp isn't good, and another highly regarded guy said it sounds like it is from the 80s. It’s the last one that worried me the most. So, I thought maybe I should get the GT1 which is also low in price now, even lower than the ME80. I also considered the Zoom G5n. What do you think. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

uhuhuhhuh knob...

I definitely recommend buying one

@@timbuk1126 Thanks for your recommendation. After some researched I found out a Boss Acoustic Singer Live probably suits better for my daughter. It's because my daughter has already got a Roland Cube 40XL with enough effects on it, and my daughter's musical backgroud is clasical piano probably she doesn't need guitar effects on Boss ME-80.

@@Noeman2009 Screw all that. Get your daughter a Boss Katana 100 Mk2. And the big footswitch for it. She'll love you forever. Small amp, cheap, and LOUD

If someone gave you a freebe would you give it a bad review ?

I wouldn’t review it unless I liked it. I’ve sent back loads of gear that I simply didn’t think was very good or that I felt wasn’t something I could do justice.

Not a pro unit? *shrug* I don't know, I think it maybe gets a bit over the top with what some people consider 'pro'. It probably couldn't stand up to being DreamTheater's only setup, but hey, for 350 (and a lot less, used) its a unit that covers everything, with some depth. It's easy to edit and damn near bulletproof. I've dropped mine down stairs before. I wouldn't do that with the ME90 that just came out since it's only metal on the top now. Anyone that is beginner through touring could probably get away with this. If people can tour with only a GT1 they could definitely get away with using this, I think.

​@@CedricSatterfieldI know a few pros that still tour using this unit and haven't even considered getting the 90. If time is spent fine tweaking it it can deliver anything.

@@nuthinbutlove oh absolutely. I love that Studio Rats got ahold of one years after it came out. There is lots of older gear that is perfeclty fine, and honestly, closer to what you hear on streams or radio, depending on the age of the music you are listening to. We still all play Fender Princetons or 5150s or JCM xxx and those have all been around for decades.

Thanks a ton

You’re very kind Bram, I’m sure you make it sound great.

Great tip!

Hey man, how can you turn on the cab sim on the L&R outputs of the ME80? Thanks

@@kaskas55 put a mini jack in the headphone out. If you have an old broken headphone, just cut of the cable and use the minijack and leave it in. That's what I call a dummy plug ;-)

@@christianboddum8783 thanks a lot man!

Way just for begginers?

Why just for begginers?

So when is the me 100 coming?? Could you suggest they make it a little smaller too? Thanks man...

@@bzbzob I don't have a connection to Boss or Roland LOL, I emailed them and they said they don't take suggestions for new products.

Is the distortion any good. Sounds a bit tinny sometimes.

ME90 now!

You MUST have a plug in the headphone jack otherwise the pre-amp section doesn't work at all. :-)

This Unit has no Send or Return Jacks so i don't think you could rig it for a 4CM setup unfortunately it has a headphone out L and R unbalanced and the USB and input Jack.

Does it have a loop option?

@@mbuso_cele_ Yes.

Yes, that's exactly what it is. Most multi-fx pedals are much more complicated with tons of parameters up the whatnot but I think this one is pretty close to a selection of actual single pedals

either way would work, it all depends if you want to use the amp features on the me80 (use effects loop) or bypass the amp features on the me80 go in the front.

Yes you can. Cheers!

Use the headphone Jack from the unit. I have this unit but not on hand atm and for some reason, I forget why I stuck a auxiliary cord into the phone jack. I think It activates the cab sound when going direct out on the L/R output. Give it a try and see if you can hear the difference

@@ChickenThug55 thanks a lot!