Boss GT-001

The Boss GT-001 is a desktop guitar effects processor: instead of a floorboard with footswitches, it is a wedge-shaped unit designed to sit next to your computer, aimed at home studio and desktop playing. Boss describes it as packing "the acclaimed amps and effects of the GT-100 Version 2.0 in a stylish desktop processor for your home studio"¹. It appeared in 2014, as part of the expansion of Boss's GT platform that year².

What that means for a player is the full GT-100 sound engine in a different box. Boss states the GT-001's COSM amps and effects are equivalent to the GT-100 with Version 2.0 software, Boss's top-of-the-line processor at the time¹. COSM is Roland's modeling technology, which the GT-100 used to recreate vintage amps and create new tones³. Patches are built from two effects chains with amps and a wide choice of effect types, geared toward a fully produced guitar sound⁴.

GT-100 amps and effects in a desktop processor

The GT-001's core idea is the dual effects chain. Boss says dual chains let you build sophisticated tones with two amps and series/parallel effects routings¹. MusicRadar's reviewer, Trevor Curwen, described the result: patches built from two effects chains with amps and a huge choice of effects types, all geared to give a fully produced guitar sound⁴.

The physical layout reflects the desktop role. Curwen found it "a convenient wedge-shaped unit that will sit next to your computer with its connections neatly arranged on its end, inputs to the right and outputs to the left"⁴. Controls are compact: output level has its own knob, and four knobs adjust parameters shown in the display above them⁴.

Inputs, outputs and connections

• Guitar input, plus an XLR mic input with phantom power for condenser mics¹
• Standard mono or stereo output, headphones, or a direct USB connection to a computer⁴
• Built-in USB audio/MIDI interface for working with a DAW⁵
• A jack for connecting an expression pedal or up to two footswitches for real-time effects control and patch changes⁵

The mic input is unusual for a guitar processor. Boss says the XLR input's phantom power "allows you to use a condenser mic for top recording quality"¹, which points the unit squarely at recording rather than live use.

No footswitches, by design

The GT-001 has no footswitching capability of its own. Curwen notes you can add an expression pedal or up to two external footswitches for real-time control and patch changes⁴, but it is not a floor unit. Players who switch patches on their feet are better served by the GT-100 itself or other floor multi-effects like the Boss ME-80 or Boss GT-1.

How it relates to the GT-100

The GT-100 was announced in January 2012 as Boss's amp effects processor⁶, the successor to the four-year-old GT-10⁷, with 400 patches onboard, 200 of them factory presets⁷. The GT-001 shares that engine but not the format: same COSM modeling, no footswitches, desktop enclosure, and a mic input the floor unit does not have. Boss's own buying guide places the GT-001 in the GT series timeline as the 2014 expansion of the platform, alongside the GT-1 that followed in 2016².

Firmware, drivers and software

The GT-001 connects to computers over USB and needs a driver per operating system⁸. Boss has kept support current across a long span of systems.

Firmware

Boss's support pages list two system versions without resolving which is newest: GT-001 System Update Version 1.04, and Ver.1.10, which Boss says must be used as a set with GT-001 Driver Ver.1.1⁶. For computers running an unsupported operating system, Boss directs users to GT-001 System Program Ver.1.04 and the matching driver⁶.

The update procedure, from Boss's instructions⁶:

1. Connect an AC adapter to the GT-001.
2. Check the current version by holding down the EFFECT button and TUNER button, then pressing and holding the ON/OFF switch.
3. Extract the downloaded zip file on your computer to get the update files.
4. Copy the files to the BOSS_GT-001 icon that appears.
5. Press the WRITE button to start the update process.

Drivers by operating system

The Ver.1.1.4 driver means the GT-001 works with Apple silicon Macs through macOS Ventura¹¹. Boss also notes that Mac computers running Microsoft Windows are not supported by the Mac driver¹⁰.

BOSS TONE STUDIO

Editing and patch management happen through BOSS TONE STUDIO for GT, which requires GT-001 software Ver.1.1.3 or later¹². Boss also offers free studio-ready patches at BOSS TONE CENTRAL for the GT-001⁵.

What reviewers found

MusicRadar's review focused on the recording workflow. Curwen found that "Connected to a computer, recording is easy and the MIDI guitar facility works really well, with accurate tracking - very useful for adding other instruments to recordings"⁴. The MIDI guitar feature, driven over the built-in USB interface, lets a player trigger other instruments from the guitar, which is a capability normally associated with units like the Boss GP-10.

Guitar Interactive Magazine's launch coverage highlighted the same angle: "the built-in USB audio/MIDI interface provides a direct connection for creating music with your favourite DAW"⁵.

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