Worst Gear Reviews Ever: Can the Boss ME-50 Achieve David Gilmour Tone?

Time for another Unconventional David Gilmour Tone Chasing™ video with the Boss ME-50. This multi effects unit from the 2000s has been a staple of "my sound" for a long, long time. Can it achieve David Gilmour sounds?
Yeah, probably.
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[@thebreakfastmenu]

Hey there folks. Sorry I only played songs (poorly) from Dark Side. The Boss ME-50 is capable of so much, and I wish I could demonstrate what it can do better than I did. But I guess that's why these are called Worst Gear Reviews Ever, eh? Hope you enjoy it anyway!

[@russouk]

love mine....can get the sounds I like good for maied ,girlschool,zep ..that ilk....never get rid of mine....rock on

[@shaft9000]

Nah man, that was well above most players' ability to execute. Your phrasing, bends and intonation are very good. Okay, you're not "nailing it" 110% but that's a matter of infinitesimal anal-ity, and is pointless on stage. It costs $20+K and a LOT of study to get within the last few % of Gilmour's sound because _he had an expensive freaking rig_ and despite his greatness, he still _needed_ all/most of that stuff in order to sound that way in those recordings. That said - being the SPIRIT of the music is far more important. YOUR spirit. Imitation is fine to learn some stuff with, but it is not the point of life = *Self-Discovery* (with the illusions and layers of mystery that it may entail).

[@jessiej3991]

But can it sound like Mick Thomson's guitar from Slipknot?

[@thebreakfastmenu]

@@jessiej3991 Uhhhh... maybe??? I won't pretend to be an expert in that department lol

[@weinschluerfen]

This video is a bright shining star on the firmament of unknown music equipment on KZbin! I own the Boss ME-50 since more than a year and almost gave up on it, but this video gave me hope to get the tone I desire. Please don't call yourself a "midwestern failure of a musician", you're really helping me out and your skill level of playing the guitar is something I aspire to reach!

[@thebreakfastmenu]

@@weinschluerfen I appreciate the kind words! The ME50 definitely has a lot to offer! Even if you only use it for a couple things, I’ve found it’s difficult to outright replace on my board

[@danroche1173]

Legacy multi effects units are the ultimate overlooked gem. The second a new version comes out the old ones get thrown away. The Line 6 original POD had a Vox Preamp sound to DIE for. And it sounds just as good today.

[@LaminatorX]

At 50, I've kept 3 amps. One of them is a Flextone II+.

[@beenderedonedat]

I'll be playing the support for Gene Simmons next month, sure will be using the ME-50. It's reliable

[@TheRok99]

I try and tell people that and do you think they listen. Lol, noooooo. All of these tones everyone is chasing have been done 30-70 years ago. The things it takes to make them are all suuuuuuuuper cheap

[@roofkorean6948]

David Gilmour's face in the thumbnail is hilarious 😂I always thought his guitar face looked like he just ate one of those Atomic Warhead candies.

[@thebreakfastmenu]

I’ve got a whole folder of goofy Gilmie faces ready to go

[@whatarefriends4]

This guy is obviously a genius I’m diggin this

[@Emet.V]

My favorite multi effect unit

[@Dial_Up_Modem]

Owned one the first year it came out and sold it shortly after because I thought it sucked and got individual pedals. Got an ME-50 on a trade a few months ago and haven’t looked back. Sold all my individual pedals - it’s so good and supremely underrated. Also, great playing and guitar face!

[@thebreakfastmenu]

lol thank you! Yeah, they've aged really well.

[@randrothify]

Don’t put yourself down, you did an incredible job on those solos and the bends were terrific! If they weren’t spot on, that’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Except for David Gilmour himself, no one else’s are either and that includes many of the tribute acts. Thanks for showing us what old gear is truly capable of. The answer isn’t always new gear, it’s to learn how to use what you already have and perish the thought, practice. Though I’m also guilty of not listening to that sound advice. Turns out we all have G.A.S.😅

[@thebreakfastmenu]

I appreciate the kind words! And yes, we do all have serious, serious GAS

[@michelleneeds4165]

I used to gig with mine regularly too, so much so that i had to replace it after beer and sweat corroded the first one from the inside out. Love the compression and reverb. Made my 12 string shine like the sun. Nice playing bud!

[@trigliderider]

Thanks for the video and inspiration to break out my ME-80. Oh, enjoyed your playing too !

[@Barkosaur]

I shouldn't be surprised that it sounds good, its Boss afterall :) Nice review, enjoy the humor . . keep them coming! 🎸🤘

[@NotMarkKnopfler]

Great humour and great playing. Loving it! 👍

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Thanks a bunch!

[@PaulArmin-z2e]

Hi there, I´ve also been using a Boss ME-50 for at least 20 years. For me it still is the most down-to-ground and effective multi effect pedal. No displays, no programming, no connecting to a computer. And great sounds. I simply love the delay section, making it very easy to get into Gilmour types of sounds. The chorus effects are on the weak side in my opinion, but who cares? There are plenty of affordable alternatives. The compressor and noise gate are really great features. I tried out both a ME-70 and a ME-90, but they just can't compare both in directness and "raw" sound. I was very impressed by your Floyd session in front of the fridge. 🙂 For me, this pedal is - even after all these years - the state of the art for my kinda music. Best wishes from over in Germany, Paul

[@thebreakfastmenu]

@@PaulArmin-z2e Thanks for the kind words! Boss definitely got it right with this one. Hopefully I’ve got some years left in this old unit yet!

[@MrToutman101]

Sounds amazingly good! Total beginner here. Is there anyway to show me a picture of all the knobs in the right position to achieve the Gilmour sound? Thanks.

[@nickgerow]

Boss's website has an old brochure for these that you can download, dated Jan. '03. I swear I've had mine since '04 at the latest, had no idea how cutting edge I was at the time. So many reasons this thing is still hard to beat in many ways. To me its greatness largely lies in its (mod reverb and) elegantly simple yet functional presentation of such a complex (and near-"complete") collection of guitar pedal effects. It's literally like buying over 70 guitar pedals for barely $2 each, lol. Many of the digital od/dist options may be kind of crap, but I've personally landed on the BD2 as a very functional option within specific parameters. Especially when used lightly and with an also-lightly-overdriven tube amp, and/or with other od/dist pedals for that matter. And I do really love that mod reverb.

[@davysaltcoats]

cheers from scotland ...shine on brother...

[@dgperforms1]

I own and gig with the ME80, and now ME90. Ive used the ME80 live for years. Thanks man. Ill smash that Sub now

[@carlosalves4444]

Lol Wes,😂 dude you crack me up, could you do a video on how you incorporate the Me- 50 with the other pedals on your board, signal chain connections, some of your favourite settings etc, that would be awesome. I have recently got my ME-50 out of the box, after watching your video, .Great tones by the way dude.

[@SFPP_Archival_Recordings]

Used to have an ME-70…. Coolest multi effect unit ever. I eventually gave it to a friend once I started getting into pedals more and who knows where it went. Top tier pedal, I loved it.

[@CollummPlays]

I have an ME-50. I owned for almost 14 years. I spend so many hours, twisting knobs on it, its a lot of fun to play on.

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Nice! ME-50 gang rises up!

[@rochat]

I love the humour and self depreciation. Fun fact about Bubbles.... Before Trailer Park Boys, he was the guitarist and I think backing vocals for a Canadian band called "Sandbox" which had a few hits in the 90's. I got lucky a few years back and found a mint ME-50 for $40 and it has been far better than I had hoped for. It's also great for practicing as you can use it with just headphones. I'll never get rid of mine.

[@julianmorrisco]

A KZbinrr playing standing up! Subbed. Normal people don’t sit down when playing the guitar.

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Ha! I've never even considered how many guitarists on KZbin play sitting down, now I don't think I'll ever unsee it.

[@PitchAndTimbre]

1:10 "Literally no one ever plays the open e string here as is clearly heard on the album and I can only speculate as to the reason why not. But I played it. You're welcome."

[@thebreakfastmenu]

I'm not crazy right? It's there, I swear!

[@jazzagerecords7932]

Peak Floyd

[@blueatlantisguitar]

I've had a couple of graffiti yellow strat pluses,, wish I had kept one. I've used an ME-50 since they came out [great with old fender or MM amps] ,,, will use it tonight with a 1965 Tremolux . Ive never used the progam mode because I get all I need in manual. We range from George Jones to Eagles and everything between. I also so use a late 70's Ross D/P 110v pedal along side of the Boss. if it aint broke dont fit it!!!!lol

[@Aidenbro-s2k]

You are so good! I love this!

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Hey, thanks!

[@jlr8451]

Excellent video and great playing! Any chance you might share the settings you used for these sounds?

[@kandoo1316]

Had to pause this. Went to buy some KFC and now I'm writing this message with greasy fingers.

[@nedim_guitar]

The unit works fine for recording at least, but I also need to compliment your playing. Well done!

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Thanks a lot! I recorded my first full album using only the ME-50 for guitar and bass and I have no complaints about the tones I got

[@weeks55]

Followed for self-deprecation. Good review!

[@turner8107]

got one of these for 70 bucks at a pawn shop. huge steal!! my first effects since starting guitar its so much fun

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Nice score!

[@cranberogelio]

this was great brother thanks

[@thebreakfastmenu]

No, no... thank YOU

[@shaft9000]

Ha! Good Playing. I'm so old that my first multi-FX wasn't a pedal it was an 80's rack thing called the ****ART SGE**** _bay-beeee_ (The flanger was pretty good, anyway. Made by ex-MXR people.)

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Oh I LOVE rack gear... I don't even have a reason beyond "it's cool to have a rack full of rack units" since everything is in pedals and is way more convenient now but I so love a good rack unit

[@johnmajernicek6508]

Hi. Great job. Can you share what the settings on the patch(es) are? Thanks

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Thanks! If I recall correctly, I used the Big Muff setting for "Time" with all the knobs maxed. I think I used the Rat setting for all other distortion tones with the knobs all between 1-2 o'clock. I used stereo chorus 1 with the level up all the way, depth about 2oclock, and rate about 10oclock. The Univibe I think might have been about the same settings... Delay was the analog setting with all knobs around 1-2 oclock. Compressor had both knobs at noon, nose suppressor was at 1ish oclock. I THINK I might have used the "Fat" setting on the Tone Modify knob, but I might have used the Presence setting. That's about it.

[@johnmajernicek9876]

@@thebreakfastmenu What amp or preamp or interface did you use?

[@thebreakfastmenu]

@@johnmajernicek9876 It’s just straight into a Focusrite 2i4. Nothing else.

[@MortyParko]

Thanks for the video, you're an amazing guitar player. Do I need to buy a looper if I get one of these? What do you suggest for a novice player?

[@thebreakfastmenu]

@@MortyParko thank you! You don’t need a looper, it’s a totally separate thing. I just used it here for the backing tracks so I had something to play along to! ME50s are great for novices! If you’re looking for a looper for novices, the EHX 720 is my big recommendation unless you need a whole bunch of ins and outs

[@TheMagicktony]

Great I’ve been using me 50 for violin for years.

[@Alejandro1956]

Great review and you nailed!, Question: Since you are using in stomp mode (no patches)., How do you get two different OD sounds, say... one for crunch and one for leads? Do you add any OD or Booster pedal to the input of the ME-50?

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Thanks! In this video I only used the ME50. So you can only have one overdrive/distortion selected at a time. So you really only get 2 gain stages; clean and dirty. It's a compromise. I use a Boss SD1 for light gain when I stream or play live these days.

[@TheGospelGuitarist]

Been using mine since they came out. I have a rather larger pedal board now because I love individual pedals once again. I will never sell the 50. Also have an old RP-20 I won't sell either. No modeling amps on these, just original effects and drive tones.Plug them into a real tube amp and kill something. lol! At 63 I've played a bunch, old Boss GX-700 still sets in my rack with my Eleven rack as well for some modeling.

[@thebreakfastmenu]

@@TheGospelGuitarist Oh yeah my ME50 used to go straight into the front of a Peavey Session 400. I could destroy cities with just that simple setup

[@alessandrogambazzi7228]

Bravissimo è possibile avere le patches dei tuoi suoni ci fai qualche video pf 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Hello, I don't know what this says unfortunately. But I want to thank you for commenting anyway!

[@Mihail_K.]

For a second I thought I'm on r/pinkfloydcirclejerk. Can't complain though, it's 4 AM and I'm laughing at the thumbnail like an idiot.

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Making goofy thumbnails is literally like 90% of the reason I do youtube at all

[@tut2507]

I actually have a Boss GT6 and it's amazing. I got it used for $80 back in April. I love i t. But I love Boss stuff. I love it because it's still old school so to speak

[@TeleCarlitos]

Cool live performance footage!

[@Mujcanal]

Boss ME-50 is a serious gear, you can save a lots of money on it.

[@Monkeypole]

It's great for sure, but it's not a replacement for good single overdrive, compression or envelope filter pedals

[@kanahmal]

I agree with this video, you do have a nice watch. Casiobros.

[@Guitarbluesicaster]

Good playing!!👍

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Thank you!

[@angrybuzzy]

That was terrible. Just a terrible gear review. But also excellent!

[@austinhammond9942]

David Gilmieeee

[@Nightwinflyer]

We are so spoiled today. Pretty much all the gear out there will give you tones that are far better than good enough. We have been programmed that to sound good you need the most expensive tube amp etc... I agree It is far better to work on your technique than the endless hunt for that magic piece of gear.

[@PitchAndTimbre]

What's your writing process for these? Do you use a script that you follow word for word? Do you make a bulleted list of talking points? Or do you just kinda go for it?

[@thebreakfastmenu]

I write scripts that I follow while recording, although sometimes they're just bullet points, and sometimes while I'm recording things will just come out. Sometimes I flub and leave it in, sometimes I don't notice I flub until editing. Outside of having reminders of images or clips I need to edit in, I don't plan ahead for editing and just try to make it as entertaining as possible.

[@joecader]

What about Tom Scholz, can it do that sound? I heard it's mostly a harmonizer pedal that is responsible for that sound. I have both ME-50 and 70 but haven't really 'studied' them.

[@thebreakfastmenu]

I won't pretend to be an expert on Tom Scholz's sound. But the ME-50 does have a harmonizer function that can be set to 3rd, 4ths, 5ths and octaves, both up and down.

[@shaft9000]

~ Which ~ sound? The first 2 albums are pre-Rocktron, and his studio burned down between the debut and DLB so he had to completely re-tool. One of his doo-dads was the rare Fresh Fuzz pedal (e.g. _Rock N Roll Band_ intro) - you wont get that sound even from a Big Muff or Fuzz Face let alone a multi-FX.

[@mikkywhalan]

It’s a great pedal. So underrated. I bought mine for $150 Australian.

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Score!

[@foghornleghorn100]

can you show us how to get that gilmore sound out of it then????

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Everyone has a different setup so it’s subjective. In this video I was amp-free, line out. Time had the “Muff” setting, all knobs were maxed, analog delay app knobs at 1:00, and a touch of the mod reverb. Money had the Rat setting with knobs all at 1-2 o’clock, stereo chorus 2 with the level up so the way to simulate Gilmour’s double tracking, delay and reverb were the same as Time. The Van Halen but was the same with no chorus. Breathe was clean with the Univibe and the same delay and verb again. Lead had stereo chorus instead of vibe again to mimic the double tracking. All the backing tracks were made with it, too. I used the BD-1 for Times rhythm guitar, the wah for the Money keyboard, which I played on guitar, bass was done using the pitch shifter. I didn’t really dive into this stuff because once you go to one of the distortion/modulation/delay types I mention in the vid, you’ll find usable sounds instantly, but at the end of the day, you’ll be playing your own guitar into your own amp/amp-free setup, and have your own tastes. I was mostly just trying to show what it can do, rather than how. Hopefully I didn’t miss the mark too badly!

[@foghornleghorn100]

@@thebreakfastmenu ok thank you for taking the time to answer👍

[@chrisdenett7593]

been gigging with mine for 20years, just starting to shit its self in the last week, i dont even rely on there shitty power, i load it with batteries brillant, found one online near new so i bought, another 20 years of use if i live that long🤣

[@thebreakfastmenu]

@@chrisdenett7593 Nice! I got a backup for mine just in case anything happens. It’s just too important in my setup to go without it!

[@artulyanoff]

У меня был ME-20 и для своего времени эти процессоры звучали очень хорошо) Я с ним кучу концертов отыграл, всегда был им доволен)

[@ToniHammond-ej1yx]

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

[@AlexTapisevic]

Best review I've seen of this specific piece of gear... mostly because every other one in YTB. suck balls.

[@GreatPlanet-n7n]

you gonna try the new ME90?

[@thebreakfastmenu]

Probably not. At least anytime soon. Unless I find one to noodle around with at a music store.

[@minnonikki]

Your Chicaaaago is showing

[@thebreakfastmenu]

WHERE!!?? 😰

[@jmorg1267]

😂😂

[@mrshiney2]

Another cheap fx pedal ( although new) is the NU>X MG300 I think it is $149 Anyway really great distortion and a great univibe

[@thebreakfastmenu]

NU-X seems to have successfully broken away from "cheap Chinese knockoff" to "good budget option." Which is great! These days, we need all the solid budget options we can get

[@mrshiney2]

@@thebreakfastmenu Indeed. I own vintage Fenders and Marshalls, but most of the time they just sit in the storage closet. The old amps are good if you want to really crank it up and "feel" it, but who does that any more? I have an old POD I bought for $60 and it has some good stuff in it too. Tried the POD GO but it died with in 2 months and nobody to fix it in Cali so I got rid of it. So this little NU>X just seems to fit the bill for a quick jam, it has a decent looper function also. I record most of my stuff with UA amp sims and nobody seems to complain so yeah I think we are there. And then there is the old Tom Scholz Rockman gear. For a long time everybody just threw that stuff away and now it is a vintage sound. I had some old 70's Ibanez guitars that everyone laughed at and now are collectible

[@minnonikki]

U da bomb

[@NotMarkKnopfler]

Subbed.

[@timithomann]

🖖

[@lucasthando8941]

The boss ME 50 sucks I have one and I regret buying 😂😂😂😂😂

[@thebreakfastmenu]

@@lucasthando8941 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂