Can a 33 Year Old Multi-FX Pedal Compete with the NEW Boss GX-100?

[@joesatchton212]

Not a pointless video - hope you guys revisit this. The speed challenge was pointless. What would actually be useful and interesting would be a head to head with the GX1000 and the Boss GT6 or GT8 units, rather than really stacking the deck so much as you did here. And then to have Digital John spend equal time creating similar tones for each. THAT would be much more revealing IMO.

[@jacksmith4460]

the concept is not pointless, however the video was pretty pointless

[@horestra]

Agree. The speed challenge didn’t prove anything.

[@MidlifeSlices]

Yeah, no reason to race. I actually wanted to hear a dialed in deliberate comparison.

[@AndyCooper761]

Was going to say the same thing. Multi-effects aren’t really used for tweaking on the fly - patches are programmed in advance, but recalled on the fly. Still use my GT6 live (theatre level Floyd tribute) for delays, reverbs, modulations etc - and there’s no reason to upgrade from what I hear.

[@robertlibutti6605]

The older unit really didn't sound that bad. Dialed in better and I think he could have gotten some decent tones. Some of the newer ones sounded really harsh

[@bille77]

OK, no. Just no.

[@Jh-fi5im]

@@bille77 the older units are really only good for effects going into an amp. but the new ones do it so much better. I mean look at rigs like Steve Vai's or John Petrucci's, they both use axe fx's. And even Axe FX's aren't even that new.

[@MiguelMakesMusic]

yeah I don't get why the goal of the vid was to do it as quickly as possible, plus it was obvious Lee isn't familiar with the unit. It'd be cool to see someone who knows the unit well to dial in the sounds without being in a hurry.

[@Jh-fi5im]

@@MiguelMakesMusic they should really do like a blindfolded shoot out video for these 2 units if they haven't already.

[@sordel5866]

@@MiguelMakesMusic I think that the goal of the video was to show people who haven't upgraded their digital FX for a while that the technology has moved on and there's now a compelling reason to do so. And to demonstrate that Lee doesn't listen to Progressive Rock.

[@tonepilot]

Love these videos with Digital John, more please :)

[@johnconnearnmusic]

That’s the plan! So glad you’re enjoying them :)

[@deanandthebeans857]

The older Boss multieffects still have good useable sounds, especially the drive sounds - the GT5 had analogue drives that I still love!

[@carlashworth190]

Thanks guys I bought the BOSS-ME-5 At pawn shop did not quite know how it works but by watching you guys I do now. Thanks a million 😊

[@lcborges80]

Made in 80's and still works properly. Boss is always the best choice, in my opinion!

[@peterszakal]

Both are lovely, but I'm still happy with the ME-80.

[@marlonpotakaharu4117]

Indeed. Just purchased last Christmas. Does everything I need it to do. Long live the ME-80

[@marlonpotakaharu4117]

@@midpupposIII I purchased from Andertons in December. Unsure whether still in production or not

[@MattW4319]

I picked up a me-80 last summer just started to mess with it more. A band my wife filled in singing for last summer used me-80s into the effects return of their amps and sounded great

[@planzed463]

Love Digital John!!! Yea defo hear the difference, like Captain said, it’s like half the frequencies are missing from the old one... a bit like me 😬🙃 (am 50yr okd) I think half my frequencies are missing too!

[@rayprevailer8454]

I recently bought the Boss ME 80. I spent a month looking at all the pedal board platforms. The simplicity won me over. No menu's to deal with and the sound's are great to my ears. I run it stereo into 2 quilter tone blocks then to a stereo marshal 4x12 in an iso chamber miked up to a mixer then my interface and DAW. The ME 80 is a perfect match for my needs and cheap too.

[@robertpurdy4452]

I agree about the ME-80. I have mine in stereo running to a Katana 50 and Katana Artist, along with other effects in the chain and I don't use the ME-80 for all my effects but I do like it in conjunction with my other stomp boxes. I'm not recording at the moment or I would do things a bit differently.

[@yodajazzcat]

Even though I have purchased (additional) others, I love mine for the sounds and simplicity as well.

[@gohjohan]

I got the ME80 as well. I used it for church this morning and I'm pleased with it. The output is good too, had to turn down the volume a notch.

[@Eged282]

I love my ME80, and will never sell it I assume, but I must say that the Digitech RP500 was as simple and it did have more mods and reverb types. I think the RP500/1000 and the ME 80 are legit for any club gigs. For anything such as music halls, or festivals, I would only trust my analogs. I mean, how can you trust all these multi effects without reprogram them to fit in any given room? Even all the presents that I had to program before a gig had to be tweaked, depending on the room and acoustics of any given time, so what are we doing here anyway saving all these user banks;.

[@findJLF]

The ME5 is an outstanding multi-fx unit. Honestly, with even the slightest bit of experience and familiarity with the ME5 you can dial in excellent sounds fairly quickly. The EQ plays an important role , as does the noise-gate. For 1988, the ME5 brought amazing functionality, that holds up very well today. Unfortunately this video did not represent the functionality, the sound generation capability and the flexibility of the ME5.

[@danriley5848]

I was using a Digitech rp7 valve multi fix in 2007 because I was doing alot of shows and the unit sounded amazing with my Marshall jcm800. The simplicity and the real tube preamp gave me some great results and I was always getting comments on how I got my tone and it was that simple lol. There are some great units available nowadays and they have come a long way. 🤘

[@RichardLainegard]

Done hundreds of shows with the old ME5, it can sound really really good, but basically, only the OD1 is usable. The trick is to use the OD1, and boost that with the compressor in front, then EQ-compensate with the EQ afterwards.

[@grumpyrocker]

God I feel old. Some of my early multifx stuff I've owned was the Korg G3 and Korg AX1G. Even gigged the little Korg G3.

[@TomJarane]

I had a ME-5. Loved it.

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

As the time element of the challenge goes, the UI makes such a big difference. Given a few hours to familiarise yourself with the older unit, 'better' tones will be forthcoming.

[@thedude-jb7wx]

i THINK NOT OR NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE A DIFF. The old unit is thin sounding vrud and i dont think EQ would make a huyge diff

[@ak47dragunov]

Those old multi FX units were always good. They just got crapped on by snobs until it became a truism

[@davidfaustino4476]

Lolol no

[@monarakudumbiya957]

You mean like comparing battery life of an iPhone 13 and a Nokia button phone 20 years ago ?

[@JamieWittGuitar]

They really weren't. I had a ton of different ones over the years, including flagship units. Many left a lot to be desired, some basically unusable in a live situation. Firm Helix user nowadays, but let's not pretend it's not been a rocky road getting here.

[@Grizzlyঐু]

People just forgot what an opinion is. Tube doesn't sound better than a multi-FX unit... But a multi-FX unit doesn't sound better than a tube amp... It's called having a "opinion". Pick what you prefer and stop telling people what is "better" (I'm talking to the tube amp snobs btw).

[@JosePineda-jn8jk]

@Mark Seymour I mean I think there is some marketing that goes behind that. Companies regularly get slammed when they compare their models to real world amps. When they just make tones and call them new things or “inspired by” people usually get on board and aren’t upset. But truth be told it is also purist that perpetuate that need to say it is not the same.. I mean for me who cares personally, call plant bases protein meat I don’t care lol. Same applies here in my philosophy, they aren’t amps or pedals, just tone generators and wood, metal strings, and some magnets.

[@moham1287]

The older one sounds so much better because it is literally 5 great pedals inside it

[@thedude-jb7wx]

the me 5 sounds like bullocks complete arse mate. are you being sarcasticx SOMEONE PLEASE MAKE SENSE OF THIS IM CONFUSED!!!

[@jason.h]

the pure distain from pete in this is hilarious

[@fernalicious]

Im the original owner of an ME-6 and still use it from time to time. Great memories of high school! 👍🎸👍

[@Btheking07]

OK first off I would like to start by saying thank you for uploading this video. It’s been really inspiring and secondly, I’ve been thinking about buying a multi effect pedal either from the 80s or from the 2024 and this video has just proven to me that no matter the effects pedal I buy I will always get the worth of my money thank you very much for uploading this video. Remain blessed from a fan in Nigeria

[@noAPlease]

What a fantastic idea for a video. Great stuff, guys!

[@patbaileyguitars]

Ah, this takes me back, gentlemen! THE very first multi-fx I ever used at a gig was the ME-5! At the time, it was king. Best tech we had outside of a Bradshaw rack rig worth $20k. The Digitech GSP-21 rack was a close 2nd place. No question, the BOSS line is still one of the most organic, and the tech has came a LONG way. Thank you for this video!

[@ericwarrington6650]

Hey digi John is back!! Cool topic very entertaining and informative...

[@DavidKennaway1]

I have a ME5 brought in the 80's for £450. Quite expensive at the time. My only problem with it is you cannot have reverb and delay at the same time. I will have to get it out and see how it sounds.

[@Albrecht777]

You can use delay and reverb simultaneously with the successor to the ME5, the ME6. Like its predecessor, it also has analogue overdrive and distortion - a nice touch from Boss. Sadly, one can't use flanger and chorus together. However, I have a Cry Baby, Digitech Turbo Flange, Voodoo Vibe and an old Arion Tube Mania pedal (for different distortion / OD sounds) chained in prior to the ME6, plus an expression pedal which goes into the designated input for one on the ME 6. I'll be honest; I don't really need much more. Both the ME5 and ME6 still hold up well, in my opinion. The ME5 has a better build quality than the ME6, though.

[@sirdijamond]

Thanks for playing The Spirit of Radio Lee. Now it‘s stuck in my head :)

[@GraniteSoundtrack]

The GX-100 had many pluses but the difference in tone, besides the stereo part, wasn't as big as Lee made it. Most of it was his lack of knowledge on how to use it. Speed was somewhat irrelevant. Both were not appealing to me.

[@stratocaster2206]

I used a Boss ME-10 for years and it was great. I only replaced it when it finally broke down.

[@alanredversangel]

Old multifx were amazing for the time they came out. It was either that or thousands of pounds worth of rack gear. OD and amp/cab sim sounds have come a long way but there were some very nice sounds on certain units depending on what you plugged them into.

[@OgamiItto70]

Well, the GX being in stereo was kind of a big advantage. The ME-5 sounded perfectly acceptable, though. Personally, I _like_ the sound of the older Boss multi-effects units, provided it's all about compression, delay, chorus, flange, phase, etc. The distortions and distorted amp stuff on them all sounds fake to me, so they're mostly stick-it-in-the-effects-loop pieces so far as I'm concerned. But definitely worthwhile.

[@thedude-jb7wx]

its sounded like worthless trsh to me not even close

[@Taylor___]

The only thing that seperates any unit is the heavy sounds. Anything can do a clean sound or crunch. When I test an amp or unit I just go straight to the heavy setting

[@ChiselledK1990]

I actually really liked The Captain’s Blues tone. I’m guessing because it’s basically a analogue Boss drive pedal going into a clean valve amp.

[@guitareMTL]

The EQ in the me-5 is AWESOME. If you take the time to tweek the overdrives with EQ, this unit is way better than the later digital stuff from boss.

[@thedude-jb7wx]

what??? what??? the ME 5 sounds like horrid trash here.

[@guitareMTL]

@@thedude-jb7wx Yes, here, but man they do not know how to use it.

[@thedude-jb7wx]

@@guitareMTL idk maybe ur right but ive heard the ME5 before and he was always semi pro. I mean to me you got go the real route if you got the money. If i dont have the money im buying one piece of equipment at a time. The new PRS pedals are also mediocre. I think must stuff old and new doesnt get you all the way. If youre saying its decent cool but lets face it Gilmour aint using the ME5 ever. I dont have money to buy a 70s electric mistress and and a vintage tube driver and a hi watt so i have a marshall jcm and a roland jc 40. Also that longamp andy summers pedal is trash too. I have a very great ear im just not an amazing player. My talent is sound and im a decent player.

[@guitareMTL]

@@thedude-jb7wx Not trying to tell the m-5 would be the rich guy's way to go, but it is way better than any later digital stuff, as soon as you play at band volume.

[@thedude-jb7wx]

@@guitareMTL its weird if Pete thinks its so great why he didnt set it up lol. The other unit sounded like Lifeson and Schon kinda. To me its ME5 cant be polished. That old saying you cant polish a turd. Ive not seen one on YT sound good ever. Maybe you had the the ting down but man how much tweeking do you gotta do?

[@FrugalFretter]

The timing of this video is crazy as I literally just picked up an old ME-5 yesterday.

[@JordanBrennan]

67 years old got me, absolutely love this

[@ljmiller96]

mono vs stereo wasn't even a fair competition! I enjoyed it though.

[@JosephMile]

In the ME5 you find all analog effects built in. Only the delay and reverb were digital.

[@jesus.gongora]

this is nice concept, it would've been nice if the time wasn't a concern, just for fun make some patches on the GX and see how close the ME can get

[@unitednihilists]

Pete and the Capt have turned into that old bickering married couple. Kids have left home, they don't hear so well anymore, they spend too much time together, they have aches and pains, and have grown grumpy when the kids come home for a visit. :)

[@pierregautheret5049]

🤣😂 I want to see ZX Spectrum programming. Thank you for this video

[@declancullinan4876]

I usually love Anderton's videos, but I'm frustrated that when comparing the sound from two units, the guitars used are so different. I don't understand the thinking behind this decision.

[@ectoplasma5]

Right.

[@jonsalvador5051]

This one was a lot of fun, cheers

[@wesmitchem825]

The boss me-5 was my first pedal after about six months the digital reverb and delay stopped working but I still love it's sounds so much I just bought a boss me-6B that's almost as good

[@plamentherockfella]

Somehow ,I tend to like that old ME-5 better. Perhaps , because except delay and reverb it's all analog, it sounded much warmer and natural. I actually used to own one. Still regret selling it. Mind you...Now I own BOSS GT 1000 , but still....

[@HenriquePedrosa58]

You call it pointless, which actually is, but it's still pretty damn entertaining seeing this 😄

[@ENSOTAVES]

Never liked boss multi tones until the gx100. Huge difference in sound, I might get that gx100.

[@mickwallmusic]

I loved the ME-5, never should have got rid of it

[@pensnut08]

I LOVED the guy on the left's blues tone!!

[@andreasibanez9260]

My zoom 4040.....i bought it in the early 90s..... still rocks :D

[@hiimawasteoftime8678]

Lee and Pete argueing is the funniest thing ever

[@southpaw335]

The ME5 holds the prestigious honour in my guitar playing life of being the original pedal that single handedly created a hatred of all multi effects pedals that lasted from about 1989 to 2021 (when i began to dabble with the HX stomp) - nothing i have seen here has changed my mind ;-) i have and love a few of the standalone pedals the ME5 was based on, but in that format it was just a PITA…

[@egoncorneliscallery9535]

My anti multifx period is shorter than yours.im quite fond of my Zoom G3n which i got in i think 2014 and still use today plus stand alone pedals, mainly boosts and OD/distortion.

[@bingobango4840]

My first multi-fx unit was the ZOOM 9002, wayyyyy back in the late 80s. It was a very small unit that you wore on your guitar strap, and it had a little keypad with 4 buttons that plugged into the unit and velcroed onto the front of your guitar, and you changed the presets with the fingers of your picking hand. LOL.

[@jonathanogden746]

I still have mine out in the garage...

[@bingobango4840]

@@jonathanogden746 I wish I still had mine.

[@MilesTippett]

I still use my ME8 in stomp box mode all the time! The smart harmonizer tracks even better than my Eventide Pitchfactor in some cases!

[@lovecraftmusic8717]

Wow, that's a heavy statement...I'll consider you responsible if I purchase one😂

[@dreamweaver8869]

I used to own the old boss pedal. I actually used to LOVE that pedal,.and have looked into buying another ,but I imagine it would mostly be just a mantle piece. But yea,.I used to love that pedal back in the day,. And I guess I still do ;)

[@gimmertea6051]

Did the ME5 have amp sims? Not fair if not. Would like to see a GT6 or GT8 up against the next unit.

[@MarcCoteMusic]

It was running into an actual amp. And still sounded kind of crap, imo.

[@BobLHedd]

I'm excited for the first release from the Anderton's Blue Shirts improvisational blues group.

[@mr.astrophysics9115]

I have a old BOSS GT-8 it's still very Relevant

[@BlueberryStinkFinger62]

Definitely

[@andystagger2906]

Honestly the old unit sounds pretty damn good ! I had a similar digitech unit that sounded great …. I bet if you programmed it and saved the presets you could definitely still use it now😉😳😜

[@erpece]

Digitech RP-10... 🤘

[@andystagger2906]

@@erpece I had the rp5 with an expression pedal …. And i had an Alesis rack mounted quadraverb GT that sounded great back then . Tbh that alesis had some of the best choruses and delays the distortion was also decent and fully programable.

[@danriley5848]

@@erpece Absolutely, I used a rp7 for years with my Marshall.

[@mimimmimmimim]

I think it was the amp it was connected to. I remember giving awes to people while I was cabling the GT-8 through the (pre)amp. The trick was always to keep the digital at bay, everything as little as needed, not much, so the amp's character would show... Some effects were quite good back in the day, I guess due to their characteristics. Some though, could never get close to todays high-processor-powered-sampled models.

[@andystagger2906]

@@mimimmimmimim I agree less is more … let the amps character show above all the effects 😉👍

[@王臨江]

God~ I miss my ME-5!!

[@mariodriessen9740]

I bought the ME-5 brand new when it came out and I used it for many years. It was so easy to use and the sound wasn't too bad either. Off course the new stuff is and should be much better, but if you know how to use it it's not that bad, the old and trusty ME-5.

[@KoaCharvel]

This video was hilarious! PLEASE do more content like this with swearing and chaos!

[@BobLHedd]

Interesting: even listening on very good headphones KZbin compression is such that I didn't notice the frequency/bandwidth thing Lee described, but that fits with my memory of how these effects sound. Before that I was thinking, "Wow, the ME-5 is way better than I remember."

[@ripw1]

instantly noted that Lees guitar clean into the amp sounded better than the other guitar into the desk. More dynamics and pick attack

[@shorerocks]

It amazes me that I still have the Roland FC 100 foot controller I bought beginning of the 90s, and just re-activated to work with my new SYNERGY module rack system. And the stuff just works. Ok, just a foot controller. Still...

[@JohnHillmanchannel]

Still have and use my ME-5 from the 80s. If you know how to set it up, then these are great units. I thought about buying a new modeling digital FX system but I'd probably end up just trying to recreate my ME-5 sound. This was not the way to use it. You needed to set things up in patches. I had my entire set mapped to each pedal and group. Once it's done it's faultless. I accept that digital tones are going to be a bit more dynamic but for me the ME-5 has the sound I had in my head.

[@roelhernandez2636]

This made me smile so much that old me sounded so good 😊

[@surfzion]

I used to have the ME-6. It would be fun to have it back and play with it a little bit.

[@robd754]

would like to see an me80 vs the gx100?

[@keith1105]

Hilarious! Loads of fun. Great video

[@onenotesolo256]

I had a Marshall stack (JCM 800) with a Boss GX-700 perched on top in a 2U rack case, and a long cable to an early midi multi footswitch. Gradually morphed into current state of unashamed pedal junkie, tube amp snob blah blah but I still look back very fondly on that orange slice of versatility and 80s/90s digital goodness. And digital delays and modulation still seem to work best for me on the floor, albeit in smaller boxes as part of frequently changing pedalboards (a happy pastime).

[@jasonboyce6050]

as much as the captain didn't like making this video, I enjoyed it immensely

[@Eged282]

I have an digitech RP150, and it sound better than my Fartcal….KIDDIN! I’m good with ME80 though..I like knobs!

[@Homanjer]

The GX 100 just sounds way more hifi. Which could very well be because of the whole DI vs into the fender amp situation. I personally like a more muffled sort of tone so across the board I would actually choose the ME 5 based only on this video. But I guess I will just stick to buying individual pedals anyways haha

[@jjjimmer]

I bought a korg pandora on eBay cheap the other week - it actually sounds pretty good tbh!

[@jeffroq]

I sold an ME5 from 1989 a few months back. It sounded great but the user interface was limited.

[@alexlubinski7795]

Yes, but it has a decent MIDI implementation so you can use external software and controllers to set it up.

[@anthem7777]

thanks for the laughs lads wouldn't you know it i started on an me5 in 87-88 into a redbox speaker sim as my first ever multi fx board had a few different ones in between now looking at the gx-100 to replace all the others mainly for recording or duo work it sounds pretty nice

[@lyleanderson5407]

I watched a Lynyrd Skynyrd live concert from 1976 the other night and was in awe how amazing they sound with what little effects and technology they had...makes you think.

[@KM-302]

Totally agree. The sound bands got back then still lead the way today. I don't need to think about it. Tube amp and a few pedals. Timeless.

[@ibalrog]

Some really cool sounds here. The brightness of John's very direct rig shines through. My favorite sound was Lee's prog rock, though: while he missed the mark on that, he landed on a monster sound that is just fantastic on its own merits. Just use that signal chain for 80s/90s rock, punk, or traditional metal covers, and I'll be all smiles.

[@neilsnow7973]

The new one is doing some sweet stereo processing that makes it sound HUGE!

[@chrisbarrett8659]

I still use my ME 6 from time to time. If you take the time to dial it in properly you can still get some great tones.

[@riffmondo9733]

That was fun. More please

[@davidbarlow431]

I had an ME5 and a BE5 (bass version) back in the early 90's. They were state of the art back then, and I think they can still earn their keep today. Like any effects unit, you have to get familiar with it to get the best out of it. Best point in the video was Pete:"prog rock" lee: "just turn Everything on" PMSL!

[@thedude-jb7wx]

Cant polish a turd

[@Ryedor]

Problem with the ME5 .... those little buttons were susceptible to flooding by beer spillage. ME70 was best Boss Multi unit for live gigging. Bonus .. it runs on batteries as well. ME5 is strictly AC.

[@joeblack007forever]

Just stop drinking beer Bro!!! :D

[@mickolestra]

I love your videos anyways, but you should have taken your time to edit and fine tune the sounds! especially the EQ section on the ME5 is complex (actually it's not, it's just high, parametric mid and low, with levels ranging from -6 to +6) and requires a lot of tweaking around ;-) to get satisfactory results. Still, really good for its age!

[@nigelsmith721]

This was a popular format....

[@ghalsor]

Love it. Reminds me of something I would create if someone told me I had 30 minutes to make a video.

[@NCtrailX]

You could just bank up and down through the new unit and get to some really good tones even if you chose to tweak them a bit.

[@TheDilligan]

ME-5 doesn't sound that bad. Although I'm really hoping Boss releases an ME-90. I'd like an update of the ME-80 with the new algorithms and some various fixes. I'd buy it day 1. I love dealing with knobs on a multi-effect unit rather than a screen and menus.

[@ChiselledK1990]

And one year later Boss has granted your wish! Boss ME90 is released.

[@nickm.9474]

That pink guitar is really cool!!!

[@SChoco80]

Haha love this! Like teaching your dad how to record on a VHS player

[@marmo75]

similar videos around about first POD: with proper external IR the result is quite surprising

[@johnconnearnmusic]

While the GX-100 is wicked I did want to steal Pete’s ME-5 and take it home, has that retro cool

[@teemusid]

I've always felt the point of Progressive Rock was to use parts of whatever genre they feel works well in the piece of music. Folk, Jazz Classical, Reggae, etc.

[@oansun]

Me-5 rules. Just have to read the manual

[@findJLF]

agreed

[@meadro9916]

We need of these "dial in a tone" videos great job

[@cc_1983]

I gig with a zoom Gfx 1 and had no issues lol Don’t often use the amp modelling bit but for effects and noise gate etc Not one person has asked why I’m not using a helix either

[@pabcrane]

I thought Pete was going to strangle Lee! It is interesting though that Angelo from Massive Attack created (maybe still does) fantastic music from an old Boss GT5 - I don't know how that compares to the one Lee was using though.

[@joeformayor]

Absolutely made my day! I hope that technology has gotten better but we wouldn’t have Digital John’s if it wasn’t for the Oldies but Goodie’s. Not saying you’re old Captain!

[@Telecasterland]

Amazing work guys

[@peakAV]

The ME-5 is superior in tone-shaping. The analog BOSS DS and OD circuitry actually sound better than the individual pedals for some reason in this unit. Comp, delay, and reverb sound excellent and it has an FX loop plus noise suppressor. My only complaints are the slight latency in preset changes and programming layout. Even in this vid [which doesn’t do it justice] you can tell how much fatter the tones are over the GX-100.

[@hughrocko6791]

I think the me 5 stands well up for it's age man iv still got a roland gp 16 it still rocks altho you need to use and amp but i also use a headrush pedalboard to