Note: Battery operation is not supported
The Boss GX-100 is a multi-effects board for electric guitar and electric bass that offers digital emulations of 23 amp types and over 150 Boss effects covering everything from classic effects through to octavers and other more exotic options, of which 15 effect blocks can be used simultaneously. With a wide selection of onboard speaker types and support for loading WAV speaker impulse responses, its tube amp tone not only sounds authentic, but also feels realistic when playing. Its colour touchscreen display ensures simple operation, and users also have a whopping 200 memory locations for storing customised sound combinations. Additional presets for this board can be downloaded from Boss Tone Exchange and shared with other users.
The sleekly designed Boss GX-100 stands out thanks to its flexibility and adaptability. For example, AIRD Output Select types perfectly tailors the output signal for any destination, whether it's an amp input, FRFR monitor, or PA system. In addition to a freely assignable footswitch, an expression pedal with a toe switch is also on board, and the effects unit also offers familiar modern features such as an integrated looper. It processes audio signals internally with 32-bit floating point processing, and almost all of the inputs and outputs are implemented as 6.3mm jack sockets in mono and stereo. A tuner is naturally also included, and the rear panel features a ground/lift switch to prevent ground loops.
The Boss GX-100's headphone jack is ideal when practising at home as well as for monitoring during recording sessions. Guitarists looking for flexibility will find an instrument input as well as an AUX input, and the device's line output is supplemented by a direct output. It also offers a MIDI interface with an input and output as well as a USB port that outputs multi-channel audio in 48kHz/24-bit quality. With buttons that don't have complicated multiple assignments, the GX-100 is a breeze to use, and this means that patches, effects, parameters, and signal chains can be customised intuitively without a steep learning curve, while the numerous LEDs provide important status information. The GX-100 is thus a great choice for anyone who can easily do without battery operation.
The Boss brand has been an important part of the Japanese Roland Corporation since the mid-1970s and has caused a sensation from its inception, especially with its compact effect pedals but also multi-effect units and other helpful tools for guitarists. The company's single effect pedals in particular are legendary and can be found in almost every guitarist's home. An incredible 15 million have been sold to date. With its Katana series, the manufacturer now also offers excellent amplifiers at a very interesting price point.
With its send-return loop, the Boss GX-100 can be easily combined to form a chain with other effects units . The device is particularly easy to set up on a computer using the Boss Tone Studio software, which is compatible with both macOS and Windows, and users who want to use an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet and/or stream the sound wirelessly can expand the GX-100 with an optional Bluetooth adapter. Its metal housing is sturdy enough to withstand the demands of on-stage and studio use, though users who intend to take the Boss GX-100 to gigs should bear in mind that the board weighs 3.5kg and is almost half a metre wide.