Boss GT-8

The Boss GT-8 is a floor-standing multi-effects unit, released in 2005 as the successor to the GT-6 in Boss's long-running GT range. MusicRadar's review described it as "this updated incarnation of the well-respected FX processor" that "packs in some exciting new features and effects not found in" its predecessor¹². It is patch-based, with 340 patches stored in 85 banks, and it carries a built-in treadle pedal for volume, wah and parameter adjustment¹.

The controls

The commonly used effect blocks each get their own knob:

• Amp/speaker
• Overdrive/distortion
• Delay
• Chorus
• Reverb

All of these "have dedicated rotary knobs for their main parameters"¹. The treadle pedal adjusts volume, wah and parameter adjustment¹.

For deeper editing, the GT-8 has two flexible blocks, FX1 and FX2. For both, "you can choose one from a large variety of effects including all of the more usual stuff like trem[olo]," plus phaser, guitar synth and sitar simulator¹.

The unit can also be used as a more conventional pedalboard. In manual mode, "rather than changing patches," the bank up/down and patch change pedals can be assigned to turn individual effects on and off, and switching from patch mode to manual mode can be assigned to a footpedal¹.

Successor to the GT-6

The GT-8 arrived in 2005, four years after the GT-6. According to Boss's own buying guide, written by Joe Branton, "the GT-6 and GT-8 also introduced COSM amp modeling and duplicate effects blocks, allowing the player to stack drives or run multiple delays simultaneously," and the GT-6 in 2001 and GT-8 in 2005 "were the first to introduce tactile knob controls" in the range².

MusicRadar noted one more difference at launch: "it is less expensive than the GT-6 was when it first appeared"¹. In the same review family, MusicRadar's GT-Pro review suggested that "the GT-8 at some £300 less may be the better option" than the rackmount GT-Pro³.

What reviewers said

MusicRadar's review of the GT-8 was broadly positive about the hardware, describing "a hard-wearing practical form designed for stage use"¹. The interface drew criticism later, though. Reviewing the follow-up GT-10, MusicRadar's review team wrote: "One of the criticisms of the last GT unit, the GT-8, was the sheer complexity of the user interface," comparing it unfavorably to the "amp-style" layouts used by Line 6 and others, with the number of knobs and pushbuttons making it "tricky to navigate in a hurry"⁴.

Patches and downloads

Boss maintains an updates and drivers support page for the GT-8⁵. Among the downloads:

• Clinician Paul Hanson's Custom GT-8 Patches, with the loading procedure given in a readme.pdf file included with the download⁵
• Updates and drivers for the unit⁵

Videos

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Questions